Wrapping up its most watched season in seven years, The CW Network presented its 2015-16 broadcast schedule today to advertisers, affiliates and national media at New York City Center in New York City. The indie-pop band Of Monsters and Men kicked off the presentation with a live performance of their latest single “Crystals,” and their international hit song “Little Talks.”
“This has been a terrific season for The CW, and is a result of a strategy we set in motion a few years ago to broaden out and grow our audience,” said Pedowitz. “We had our most watched season, and our highest-rated season among men, in seven years. We launched The CW’s most watched series ever with THE FLASH, and with THE FLASH and JANE THE VIRGIN, we received more critical acclaim than ever before.
“The CW is heading into next season with incredible stability and strength, and continuing its strategy of adding more original programming all year long. Our new fall series CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND is original and hilarious, and will work as a perfect companion for JANE on Monday nights, while at midseason we have the much-anticipated DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW, and the tense action of CONTAINMENT. These three new series are a terrific complement to our already strong schedule, and allow us to keep building on our momentum in 2015-16.”
The CW will launch its 2015-16 broadcast season in October, with premiere dates to be announced later.
Monday night is back-to-back comedy night with CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND at 8:00-9:00 p.m., starring Rachel Bloom as an unhappy lawyer who quits her job and moves across the country in search of love, with her inner monologue providing irreverent musical interludes, followed by Golden Globe-winner Gina Rodriguez starring in JANE THE VIRGIN returning at 9:00-10:00 p.m.
Tuesdays, Grant Gustin returns as the Fastest Man Alive in The CW’s smash hit THE FLASH at 8:00-9:00 p.m., followed by the brainy zom-com iZOMBIE, starring Rose McIver at 9:00-10:00 p.m.
ARROW, starring Stephen Amell as Starling City’s masked hero, is back on Wednesday in the 8:00-9:00 p.m. time slot, followed by the monster-hunting Winchester brothers in SUPERNATURAL at 9:00-10:00 p.m.
Thursdays will be fang-tastic, with Damon and Stefan returning in THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, 8:00-9:00 p.m., followed by the first family of vampires, THE ORIGINALS at 9:00-10:00 p.m.
Mary, Queen of Scots will face off with Queen Elizabeth this season on REIGN, moving to Fridays at 8:00-9:00 p.m., followed by Cycle 22 of AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL, which will move from Wednesdays in the Summer to Fridays in the Fall.
The new series DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW and CONTAINMENT will premiere in midseason, and THE 100 and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST will return with new seasons in 2016.
Following is The CW’s 2015-16 primetime schedule, a night-by-night breakdown and accompanying details on all the programs. All times ET/PT.
THE CW’s 2015-2016 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND (New Series)
9:00-10:00 PM JANE THE VIRGIN
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE FLASH
9:00-10:00 PM IZOMBIE
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM ARROW
9:00-10:00 PM SUPERNATURAL
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
9:00-10:00 PM THE ORIGINALS (New Night)
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM REIGN (New Night)
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 P.M. “CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND”
Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) is a successful, driven, and possibly crazy young woman who impulsively gives up everything – her partnership at a prestigious law firm and her upscale apartment in Manhattan – in a desperate attempt to find love and happiness in that exotic hotbed of romance and adventure: suburban West Covina, Calif. (it’s only two hours from the beach! Four in traffic). From CBS Television Studios, CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND stars Rachel Bloom (“Robot Chicken”), who also serves as executive producer along with Aline Brosh McKenna (“The Devil Wears Prada”); and Marc Webb (“500 Days of Summer,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” films).
9:00-10:00 P.M. “JANE THE VIRGIN”
Jane Villanueva (Gina Rodriguez) has always lived by the rules. She is studying to become a teacher, working her way through school by waitressing at a hot Miami hotel, and she has never forgotten the lesson her grandmother Alba (Ivonne Coll) taught her long ago about the importance of saving herself for marriage. But when Jane was accidentally artificially inseminated (!) her life became as dramatic and outrageous as the telenovelas she grew up watching. Adding to the drama, the donor is reformed playboy Rafael Solano (Justin Baldoni), the owner of the hotel where Jane works, and her teenage crush. Although Jane is engaged to her long-time love, Michael (Brett Dier), a detective with the Miami Police Department, and Rafael is married to the scheming Petra (Yael Grobglas), she and Rafael are drawn closer by the pregnancy and begin to fall for each other. The tension proves too much for Jane and Michael, and they call off their engagement… and Jane and Rafael begin seeing each other. But happily ever after is interrupted by murder and mayhem, by scheming exes and maniacal criminal masterminds. Oh, and then there’s the fact that Jane learns her long lost father is Rogelio De La Vega (Jaime Camill), her favorite telenovela star! And now he’s back in her life… with a vengeance. But amidst all the crazy, there are the Villaneuva women – Jane, her mother Xiomara (Andrea Navedo), and her grandmother, Alba, who band together to support each other always, no matter the twists and turns thrown their way. And ultimately, Jane gives birth and a new Villanueva enters the world. And believe it or not… the drama is just getting started. JANE THE VIRGIN is produced by CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television, in association with Electus, with executive producers Jennie Snyder Urman (“Emily Owens, M.D.”), Ben Silverman (“The Biggest Loser”), Gary Pearl (“10.5: Apocalypse”) and Jorge Granier (“Que el Cielo Me Explique”).
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 P.M. “THE FLASH”
Until recently, 25-year-old Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) lived a normal life as a perpetually tardy C.S.I. in the Central City Police department. Barry is secretly in love with his best friend, Iris West (Candice Patton), daughter of Barry’s surrogate father, Detective Joe West (Jesse L. Martin). Joe adopted Barry fourteen years ago after Barry’s mother was murdered and Barry’s father, Henry Allen, received a life sentence for the crime – though Barry maintains that a mysterious “Man in Yellow” was responsible. Nine months ago, the S.T.A.R. Labs Particle Accelerator exploded, creating a dark matter lightning storm that struck Barry – bestowing him with super-speed and making him the fastest man alive. But Barry wasn’t the only person who was given extraordinary abilities that night. The dark matter also created meta-humans, many of whom have wreaked havoc on the city. With the help of his new scientist friends at S.T.A.R Labs, Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker), Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes), and Dr. Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanaugh), Barry begins a journey as The Flash to protect the people of Central City from these powerful new threats. However, Barry’s mission gets sidetracked when he comes face to face with the Man in Yellow. Barry isn’t fast enough to catch him but in a shocking revelation the team figures out their beloved mentor, Harrison Wells, is in fact the Man in Yellow and the man responsible for killing Barry’s mother. Harrison Wells reveals his true identity as Eobard Thawne, a man from the future who traveled back in time to kill Barry. When Barry is finally forced to confront Wells, will he be fast enough to catch him? Or will Wells be successful in killing Barry and returning home to the future? Based on the characters from DC Comics, THE FLASH is from by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” upcoming “Pan”), Andrew Kreisberg (“Arrow,” “Eli Stone”), David Nutter (“Arrow,” “Game of Thrones”) and Sarah Schechter (“Arrow,” upcoming “Pan”).
9:00-10:00 P.M. “IZOMBIE”
Throughout the riveting first season of iZombie, television’s only zom-dram-rom-com, Liv Moore (Rose McIver) learned to embrace her undead life and use her zombie powers for good. As an intrepid, zombified medical examiner, Liv ate the brains of the morgue cadavers and, under the guise of being a psychic, used her visions to assist Detective Clive Babinaux (Malcolm Goodwin) in solving murder cases. While Liv’s boss and sole confidante, Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti (Rahul Kohli), worked on a cure for her unthinkable condition, Liv battled the evil, zombie-making, brain-dealing Blaine (David Anders) and struggled to protect her loved ones and all of Seattle from a potential zombie apocalypse. Standing directly and unwittingly in the path of the oncoming zombie train is Liv’s ex-fiancee Major Lilywhite (Robert Buckley), whose life spiraled out of control when he began investigating forces beyond his understanding. In our final episodes of the debut season, those closest to Liv are thrust into mortal danger and Liv will be forced to make the ultimate sacrifice to save them. There will be heartbreaking consequences and as the dust settles we’ll see that nothing in Liv’s partially dead life will ever be the same. In season two, Liv will face new and even more powerful enemies and old enemies in surprising new forms. Unlikely alliances will be struck, relationships will be challenged, and the line between good and evil will blur for both zombies and the fully living. Based upon characters created by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred, and published by DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint, iZOMBIE is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Spondoolie Productions and Warner Bros. Television.
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 P.M. “ARROW”
After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. He returned home to Starling City, bent on righting the wrongs of his family and fighting injustice. To do this, he created the persona of the Arrow and allied himself with former military man John Diggle (David Ramsey), computer-science expert Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), billionaire inventor Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh), lawyer-turned-vigilante Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy), and his sister Thea (Willa Holland). Uneasy alliances and rivalries will shift as Oliver faces his most difficult challenge yet. Based on the characters from DC Comics, ARROW is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti (“The Flash,” upcoming “Pan”), Marc Guggenheim (“Eli Stone,” “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters”), Andrew Kreisberg (“The Flash,” “Eli Stone,” “Warehouse 13”) and Sarah Schechter (“The Flash,” upcoming “Pan”).
9:00-10:00 P.M. “SUPERNATURAL”
The thrilling and terrifying journey of the Winchester brothers continues as SUPERNATURAL enters its eleventh season. Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) have spent their lives on the road, battling every kind of supernatural threat. Over the years, after countless bloody adventures, they have faced everything from the yellow-eyed demon that killed their mother to vampires, ghosts, shapeshifters, angels and fallen gods. With the help of allies — both human and supernatural — they’ve discovered that every victory comes with a price. In the show’s tenth season, the Winchester brothers faced their most personal threat yet. The all-powerful Mark of Cain threatened to consume Dean, turning him into one of the monsters he has spent his life hunting. Meanwhile, a formidable witch, Rowena (Ruth Connell), rose to power to claim her position at the right hand of the King of Hell, Crowley (Mark Sheppard). Once Rowena revealed herself to be Crowley’s mother, the King was forced to choose between his family and the Winchesters. All while Sam, with the help of Castiel (Misha Collins), Crowley, and some unlikely allies, wages a desperate battle to save Dean from the Mark of Cain. Will Sam be able to find a cure for the Mark in time? Will it be enough to save his brother? And a more frightening prospect – does Dean want to be saved? SUPERNATURAL is produced by Wonderland Sound and Vision in association with Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Jeremy Carver (“Being Human”), Robert Singer (“Midnight Caller”) and Phil Sgriccia. Eric Kripke created the series and serves as executive consultant, along with McG.
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 P.M. “THE VAMPIRE DIARIES”
Season six of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES began with our heroes mourning the devastating loss of Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Bonnie (Kat Graham), who turned out to be trapped in a 1994 prison world by a sociopathic magic-siphon named Kai Parker (guest star Chris Wood). Unable to cope with the loss of her love, Elena (Nina Dobrev) compelled away all of her memories of loving Damon, which meant that when he finally returned to Mystic Falls, he had to win her over again. Meanwhile, Caroline (Candice Accola) had to come to terms with her feelings for Stefan (Paul Wesley) in light of her mother’s heartbreaking battle with cancer. That battle ultimately proved fatal, sending both Caroline and Stefan down a dangerous path as humanity-free vampires. Bonnie returned from the prison world with a surprise for Damon, the cure for vampirism, which he ultimately chose to give to Elena. Damon and Stefan came face-to-face with their mother Lily (guest star Annie Wersching), who they long since believed to be dead. As the season built to a wedding between Alaric (Matt Davis) and Jo (guest star Jodi Lyn O’Keefe), Damon used the ceremony to profess his dedication to Elena, but not without a catastrophic event that left lives hanging in the balance. In the wake of Elena Gilbert’s goodbye, in season seven, some characters will recover while others falter. As Lily tries to drive a wedge between the Salvatore brothers, we’ll still hold onto hope that Stefan and Caroline’s love story is strong enough to survive. Based on the series of books by L. J. Smith, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Outerbanks Entertainment, Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios. The series was developed by Kevin Williamson (“The Following,” “Scream”) & Julie Plec (“The Originals,” “Kyle XY,” “Wasteland”), who serve as executive producers along with Leslie Morgenstein (“Gossip Girl,” “Pretty Little Liars”) and Caroline Dries (“Melrose Place,” “Smallville”).
9:00-10:00 P.M. “THE ORIGINALS”
The Mikaelson family tragedies and triumphs continue as THE ORIGINALS enters its third season. The Original vampire-werewolf hybrid Klaus Mikaelson (Joseph Morgan) and his brother Elijah (Daniel Gillies) have spent one thousand years fighting to protect their dysfunctional family, but now that Klaus and the hybrid Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) share an infant daughter, Hope, the stakes are higher than ever. In the second season, Klaus and Elijah united against their resurrected mother, Esther, who tortured them with demons from their pasts in an effort to persuade them to surrender their vampire bodies and become mortal. Esther, however, was only the harbinger, as Klaus learned that a long-standing curse had marked Hope for a life of isolation and terror at the hands of Esther’s sister, the witch Dahlia, whose defeat came at great cost to the family. Season 3 finds Klaus and Elijah estranged from each other, even as both brothers adjust to life with their long-lost sister, Freya (Riley Voelkel). Hayley suffers mightily at the hands of Klaus’s petty vengeance, while Marcel (Charles Michael Davis) and Davina (Danielle Campbell) rule the city under a new status quo. Meanwhile, Cami (Leah Pipes) and Vincent (Yusuf Gatewood) find themselves caught up in a surprising mystery involving the newest resident of New Orleans — the first vampire ever sired by the Mikaelsons a thousand years ago. THE ORIGINALS is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with My So-Called Company, Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios. Julie Plec (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Kyle XY,” “Wasteland”), Michael Narducci (“The Vampire Diaries,” “The 4400,” “Medium”), Diane Ademu-John (“Body of Proof,” “Medium”) and Leslie Morgenstein (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Gossip Girl”) are executive producers.
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 P.M. “REIGN”
The second season of REIGN begins with marriages and allegiances torn asunder, as well as the rise of enemies and political unrest. Mary, Queen of Scots (Adelaide Kane), and her husband the King of France, Francis (Toby Regbo) lived through the birth of the King’s, but not the Queen’s, son, the plague, and a nation divided. Catherine de Medici (Megan Follows), realizing her limited power now that her daughter-in-law wears her crown, made a bold move to align herself with Mary’s ultimate enemy, Queen Elizabeth (Rachel Skarsten) of England. Bash (Torrance Coombs), wounded from his failed marriage with Kenna (Caitlin Stasey), sought refuge with an ethereal woman with mysterious powers, while Greer (Celina Sinden) was ousted from favor and took up a surprising occupation, where she flourished. REIGN begins its third season with Mary and Francis realizing that they are more powerful together than apart, believing there is hope for them to move forward, leaving behind the anger and hurt. It also introduces us to another Court, that of Elizabeth, “Virgin” Queen of England. Still early in her reign, Elizabeth faces opposition on all sides, particularly from men who doubt a woman’s ability to rule. Like Mary, and Catherine de Medici, she struggles to hold onto power, and love; the women have much in common, and Mary and Elizabeth are reluctant foes, but foes nonetheless, each positioned by birth and fate to destroy all the other holds dear. REIGN is produced by CBS Television Studios and Whizbang Films/Take 5 Productions with executive producers Laurie McCarthy (“The Ghost Whisperer”), Frank Siracusa (“Beauty And The Beast”), John Weber (“Beauty And The Beast”), Brad Silberling (“Moonlight Mile”), Gretchen Berg, and Aaron Harberts.
9:00-10:00 P.M. “AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL”
AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL returns with an all-new cycle of guys and girls competing for the TOP MODEL title on Wednesday, August 5 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET), and the series will move to Fridays in the Fall. AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL is produced by 10 by 10 Entertainment in association with The Tyra Banks Company. The executive producers are Ken Mok (“Making the Band”), Tyra Banks, Dana Gabrion, and Laura Fuest Silva. The series was created by Tyra Banks and developed by Mok and Kenya Barris. Tyra Banks also hosts the series. Currently, “America’s Next Top Model” is under license in over 100 markets around the world and has 20 international versions in production. ”America’s Next Top Model” and the “America’s Next Top Model” format are licensed internationally by CBS Studios International.
MIDSEASON
“DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW”
When heroes alone are not enough… the world needs legends. Having seen the future, one he will desperately try to prevent from happening, time-traveling rogue Rip Hunter is tasked with assembling a disparate group of both heroes and villains to confront an unstoppable threat — one in which not only is the planet at stake, but all of time itself. Can this ragtag team defeat an immortal threat unlike anything they have ever known? DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW stars Victor Garber (“The Flash,” “Alias”); Brandon Routh (“Arrow,” “Superman Returns”); Arthur Darvill (“Doctor Who”); Caity Lotz (“Arrow”); Ciarra Renee (“Pippin”); Franz Drameh (“Edge of Tomorrow”); with Dominic Purcell (“The Flash,” “Prison Break”); and Wentworth Miller (“The Flash,” “Prison Break”). Based on the characters from DC Comics, DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” upcoming “Pan”), Marc Guggenheim (“Arrow,” “Eli Stone,” “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters”), Andrew Kreisberg (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Eli Stone,” “Warehouse 13”) and Sarah Schechter (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” upcoming “Pan”).
“CONTAINMENT”
When a mysterious and deadly epidemic breaks out in Atlanta, a vast urban quarantine is quickly enforced, forcing those stuck on the inside to fight for their lives while local and federal officials desperately search for a cure. Trying to keep the peace on the streets is police officer Lex Carnahan, who has quickly risen through the ranks of the Atlanta PD. But Lex’s job becomes even harder when he learns that his longtime girlfriend, Jana, and his best friend and fellow officer Jake, are trapped within the cordoned area. Also quarantined in viral ground zero is 17 year-old Teresa, who is eight months pregnant and now separated from her boyfriend on the other side; Katie Frank, an elementary school teacher now placed on lockdown with her entire class, including her young son; and CDC researcher Dr. Victor Cannerts, the doctor who initially made the controversial call to quarantine the area and is now racing to find a cure for the virus. On the outside, Dr. Sabine Lommers is leading the government efforts to contain the outbreak, and has asked for Lex’s help in enforcing the cordon – which grows increasingly difficult as the public trust deteriorates. And the public has reason to be wary, as journalist Leo begins unraveling a conspiracy, finding that something doesn’t add up in the official story being told. Torn apart from their loved ones, the survivors trapped within the cordon are fighting against not only fatal infection, but also isolation, fear, and the disintegration of society around them. But as they begin to gain each other’s trust, hope remains, and on either side of the cordon unlikely heroes will rise. CONTAINMENT stars David Gyasi (“Interstellar”); Christina Moses (“Starship: Apocalypse,” “Starship: Rising”); Chris Wood (“The Vampire Diaries”); Kristen Gutoskie (“Beaver Falls”); Claudia Black (“The Originals,” “Farscape”); George Young (“Casualty”); Hanna Mangan Lawrence (“Spartacus: War of the Damned”); and Trevor St. John (“One Life to Live”). Based on the original Belgian series created by Carl Joos for Eyeworks, CONTAINMENT is produced by My So-Called Company in association with Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Julie Plec (“The Vampire Diaries,” “The Originals”) and David Nutter (“The Flash,” “Arrow”).
“THE 100”
For two seasons, the refugees of The 100 sent to Earth have been at war. First with themselves, then with the Grounders, and finally with Mount Weather. Many have lost their lives along the way. All have lost their innocence. They have learned the hard way that in the fight for survival, there are no heroes and no villains. There is only the living and the dead. But now the war is over. The battle against Mount Weather has been won. The prisoners have returned home to a world seemingly at peace, but can they find peace within themselves after what they had to do to escape? And is there more to life than just surviving? Unfortunately, their newfound sense of normalcy will be short-lived, and their lives will be changed forever, as threats both old and new test their loyalties, push them past their limits, and make them question what it truly means to be human. First, they fought to survive. Then, they fought for their friends. Now, they will fight for the human race. Based on the book series by Kass Morgan, THE 100 is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios, with executive producers Jason Rothenberg and Leslie Morgenstein (“The Vampire Diaries”).
Joy Ride is an extremely raunchy and hilarious comedy that takes the mantle of ensemble risky
comedies that at times, leave your mouth on the floor. Joy Ride focuses on two best friends
Audrey and Lolo (Ashley Sullivan and Sherry Cola) end up getting roped up into a trip to Asia,
they end up on gals pal cross-continent trek to find Audrey’s long lost birth mother so she
doesn’t lose a huge business deal.
The chemistry in this movie is superb. Every character has their moment to shine and there’s
rarely a scene where you don’t get a belly laugh. I was shocked at how crazy and bold this
movie got, continually pushing the line to get a laugh. The movie does a good job of getting to
the point and getting to the scenes that really make you chuckle. There are some editing choices where the story flies by some stuff, and it feels a little incomplete, but never at the expense of really enjoying being around for the journey.
I thought that this was a sleeper for this year and certainly a movie worth watching with your
friends some weekend. It’s great to throw on if you want a laugh and really just enjoy some
great actors riffing off each other. The focus on culture was a nice touch and really elevated the movie to another level. While I would say if you’re easily offended, this movie is not for you – if you’re looking for a no holds barred comedy, Joy Ride is a trip worth taking.
Hasbro has had their pulse app out for a while now. It allows for access to items to buy, preorder, and a look into future projects and releases. It also allows for a very cool thing most nerds (a group of which I am a proud card-carrying member) have always wanted, the ability to make yourself into an action figure. I’ve contemplated making one for a time but, I finally got my chance to get my hands on one at Comic-Con this year. Now, of course, I had to wait in line as it was a pretty sought-after item. Who doesn’t want to have themselves wear the ninja suit of Snake-Eyes or dressed like a Mandalorian? I was approached by one of the booth staff as I was showing my nephew all the cool ways we could get him his own MIles Morales action figure with his face (as he’s a massive fan) and invited to take a seat and scan our faces into the Hasbro Pulse app with the help of their awesome team and make this dream a reality. My wife was with us, so of course she got in on the fun too. We scanned our faces in and it was very simple and quick. Then we all selected our figures to add our heads to. We all chose Power Rangers(Me as the Black Ranger, my wife chose the pink ranger and the nephew got the red ranger). Then we were told that we needed to wait about 4-6 weeks and we’d have our custom action figure team in our hands. This was a major part of our Comic-Con adventure and definitely, a memory my wife and nephew won’t forget (as it was both of their first Con ever). Thank you to Hasbro for being so generous(also getting me brownie points that home) and I highly suggest checking out Hasbro Pulse and all the cool stuff it has to offer.
Adapted and written largely from the Captain’s Log chapter of Bram Stoker’s magnum opus Dracula, The Last Voyage of the Demeter tells the story of Dracula’s journey by ship from Carpathia to London, and what happened to her crew in the interim.
So here we are in Bulgaria, middle of 1897, and Captain Eliot (Liam Cunningham) of the Russian schooner Demeter is here to take on some strange cargo from some unknown client and transport it to Carfax Abbey in London. In need of some extra hands, the Captain sends out his capable Second Wojchek (David Dastmalchian) to scout for some, and initially the roving black doctor and aspiring philosopher Clemens (Corey Hawkins) is passed over in favor of more work-roughened men. The adorable cabin boy of the Demeter, Toby (Woody Norman), narrowly misses being crushed by the mysterious dragon-marked crates being loaded onto the ship, saved by Clemens himself and switched out with the superstitious sailors running from the Demeter like they had been poisoned by the sign of Dracul. And now, armed with some nine or so crewmen, Doc Clemens, and Captain Eliot himself, the twenty-four strange what looks like coffins adorned with dragon signs brought mostly safely aboard, the Demeter can make for open water and the Hell that awaits them there.
The duty of showing Clemens around the ship falls to a cheerful Toby, who proudly shows him the living areas, the Captain’s quarters, the very-large cargo hold, the galley and kitchen where the overly-devout Joseph (Jon Jon Briones) cooks the crews meals, the various above decks, even the sails, and the rigging are all at least touched on, and the livestock pens that Toby himself is in charge of, including the handsome good-boy doggy Huckleberry, or just Huck. We the audience get a very clear feeling of what it’s like to actually be aboard the Demeter, just how large she really is, and what living on a ship for months at sea is really like, the reality and practicality and the dangers of it.
Everyone more or less settles in for a hopefully uneventful voyage, taking mess around the common table and exchanging ideas or aspirations for when they arrive in London early thanks to the fair winds, and receive a handsome bonus for their troubles. But that involves being alive and making it to London to spend said bonus and pay, and the coffin crates spilling dark soil from the motherland and disgorging all sorts of other nasty secrets, have some serious plans to the contrary.
First, it’s the livestock, innocent and shrieking in their locked pens as a monster takes great furious bites out of their necks, and of course, the creature just straight up ruins poor doggy Huck. Then there’s the fully grown girl that gets dislodged from an open coffin-crate, covered in bite scars and as pale as death, she eventually starts interacting and talking after several blood transfusions from Doc Clemens, Toby learns her name is Anna (Aisling Franciosi). And then, as the weather turns foul and the winds begin to be a serious problem, the attacks turn toward the remaining humans onboard the Demeter.
Most people these days are familiar with Dracula, that gorgeous cunning vampire Elder who can supposedly transform into a bat or a wolf, seducing women to voluntarily offer up their veins like an unholy sacrament, a being at once beautiful and powerful, but also horrific and murderous if given half a heartbeat to smell your blood. This is not Dracula.
Instead, the creature that hunts the humans occupying the Demeter is an absolute monster, not a single human feature left to it, barely even recognizable as humanoid-shaped, instead boasting not just full-length bat wings but an entire exo-skin of bat membranes that can be used for feeding, a mouth full of needle-like teeth akin to a predator of the deepest darkest parts of the ocean, those yellowed Nosferatu eyes that will not tolerate light in any way, and of course giant pointy bat-ears. This is a thing, a grotesque straight from the depths of Hell, and no amount of glamor magic can make this Dracula (Javier Botet) seem like anything other than what he, is – a parasitic demon who only wants your blood. There is no reasoning with it, no trapping it, not even really any talking to it (kinda hard to talk when your throat has been ripped out), and, like the much more frightening Dracula stories of old, no amount of pure faith behind a symbol does anything other than give false hope.
Coming face to face with an actual abomination does different things to different people. The formerly delightfully foul-mouthed Abrams (Chris Walley) dissolves into a blubbering mess; poor Larsen (Martin Furulund) didn’t even get to see his own death coming; and it turns out Olgaren (Stefan Kapicic) wants to live so badly, he’ll suffer becoming a blank-eyed Renfield if that’s what it takes. All of Cook Joseph’s purported pure faith didn’t stop him from trying to take the coward’s way out and didn’t save him anyway when the sound of unnatural bat wings descended on him. I find that kind of irony delicious. Dear Anna, resigned to her fate to be eternal food for the horror that terrorized her village, nevertheless wants to try and save whoever is left of the Demeter with her own sacrifice, and there aren’t many. Wojchek of course wants to kill Dracula, but for all his logic and solid practical nature, has no experience whatsoever with this sort of thing, and sure doesn’t want to sacrifice the Demeter, the beloved ship he called home that was promised to him by Captain Eliot himself, in order to destroy that demon. Even poor sweet Toby isn’t safe from the creature’s clutches, and what happens to the cabin boy of the Demeter is what finally sends Captain Eliot over the blooming edge. And who could blame him? For this sort of thing to happen during the last voyage of such a proud, solid ship as the Demeter, is some serious bullsh*t.
To leave such a film open for a potential sequel, especially when called the last voyage of something, was a pretty hefty ask, and somehow the filmmakers managed it. I personally think a different version of Van Helsing, the infamous vampire hunter, teaming up with a certain black doctor who nurses a serious grudge against Dracula, could be a kickass sequel. Until then, experience the doomed final journey of the Demeter and her poor crew in all it’s bloodstained glory, in theaters now!
Joy Ride Is An Extremely Raunchy And Hilarious Comedy
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