The Kingdom Hearts series may be a beloved success, with Kingdom Hearts 3 set to serve up the sequel we’ve all been waiting for, but there was a time when Square Enix had to convince Disney to let them work with so many beloved properties. While the pitch process was mostly smooth, Disney did place one major limitation on Mickey Mouse.

“Actually, due to contractual issues, we were only able to use him in one scene,” said Kingdom Hearts director Tetsuya Nomura in the Kingdom Hearts Ultimania book. “Disney gave us permission for a role such as waving from the back of a crowd of people in town, but if we were going to use him, I thought we should use him in a single shot to leave the greatest impression.”

The shot that Nomura is referring to happens near the very end of Kingdom Hearts. It is then that we finally see Mickey Mouse (or at least the back of him) as he helps Sora close the door to Kingdom Hearts. We’d say that’s certainly better than seeing Mickey wave from the back of a crowd even if it isn’t quite the role many fans imagined for the iconic character when Kingdom Hearts was first announced.

What’s less clear is why Disney placed such a noticeable restriction on Mickey Mouse. The popular theory is that Mickey is essentially the company’s global icon at this point and that they have to be very careful about how that icon is used. 

It all worked out in the end, though. Not only was the use of Mickey Mouse in Kingdom Hearts quite effective, but the success of the game led to Disney giving the Kingdom Hearts team the green light to feature Mickey more prominently in future titles. Mickey has arguably become one of the main characters at this point in the series. 

That’s not the only corporate hurdle that Square Enix has had to overcome. A full report on the nature of the Kingdom Hearts/Disney relationship reveals that Pixar’s involvement was reportedly delayed by former Disney CEO Michael Eisner’s bad relationship with Pixar. Fortunately, his resignation led to Disney loosening the creative restrictions on Pixar properties. 

Kingdom Hearts 3 is out now in Japan, with the rest of the world getting it on January 29th 2019.

This review contains spoilers.

5.19 What Happens In The Cave

“As you can see, it is difficult to kill me.”

Even though King Olaf wonders whether he’s made the right decision in following Hvitserk, and Ivar now questions the veracity of everything his wife has told him, the penultimate episode of Vikings season five leaves no doubt that the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok make their father proud as he peers down on them from Valhalla. In the finely crafted What Happens In The Cave, Michael Hirst brings satisfying resolution to several arcs while setting the stage for the long awaited confrontation between the wannabe god Ivar and the brothers who seek to depose him.

Floki’s journey into what he believes is the gateway to Hel may wrap up the Iceland adventure, but the message it sends reverberates throughout the episode and much of season five. Both Christians and Vikings have grappled with their beliefs in a power greater than themselves, and no one more than Floki embodies that emotional struggle that often leaves the individual feeling abandoned by his or her god. Ready to find a new life away from the flaws of man, his spirits are buoyed when he thinks he hears the dwarves pounding their anvils.

But in the cruellest of ironies, rather than evidence of the gods, Floki finds a Christian cross standing in the middle of the cave and a chalice lying on the ground beneath it. His gods have truly abandoned him which makes this scene so meaningful as we listen to plaintive cries that fall on deaf ears. And to add insult to injury, the effects of a minor volcanic eruption fill the cave with dust and ash, apparently trapping Floki inside, leaving him to die alone with the God that mocks him in his last moments. Is this the end for the once brilliant boat builder whose creations play a significant role in the Viking expansion? From a narrative perspective, it seems a fitting end to a tale that began with so much promise. Time will tell.

With next season marking the end of Vikings run, it makes sense that major characters will continue to fall by the wayside, and as we watch Judith take her final breaths, it’s clear that Alfred is now completely on his own. Having been aided by Judith in her emotional and physical recovery, Lagertha reminds Alfred that his mother succeeded in her mission, and it’s now his duty to be a great man and king. It’s a touching scene made even more poignant when we later learn that she too will be leaving Wessex to begin the final phase of her life. Neatly placed within this sequence is the flashback to the waning moments of the battle for Wessex as Lagertha stumbles away severely wounded, ultimately to be found by the witch who tends to her. Significantly, she discards her sword and removes some of her armour indicating that her life as a warrior is over. However, it’s the old woman’s advice to Kategatt’s former queen that resonates so intensely, prompting Lagertha to ask the son a woman she killed for a favour. “Your old life is dead; you must forget,” the woman tells her, and when we see her cut off Lagertha’s braid and burn it, we know she leaves her storied past behind.

Nevertheless, before peace can truly reign over Wessex, Ubbe must deal with the impending Viking invasion that threatens everything he and Alfred have been able to build in their short time together. There’s no question that Vikings does full scale, massive battle scenes as well as any anyone, but the single combat duel between Ubbe and King Frodo ranks among the series’ most engaging action sequences owing in part to its judicious use of silence. How either man survives this brutal encounter is a testament to the people for whom each fights, but it’s clear from the start that Ubbe stands on a moral high ground that attempts to unite people rather than rape, pillage, and plunder them.

However, as Ubbe lies gravely wounded and virtually helpless, he calls on Odin for help and then summons the strength to put Frodo down for good. There’s a lot to examine in this scene not the least of which is Frodo’s man’s attempt to circumvent the rules by trying to kill Ubbe. Torvi watches the fight and offers encouragement wearing a luminous red tunic that can’t help but capture her husband’s attention. Whether she does this so he can easily find her amidst the confusion we may never know, but she fittingly takes down the man who tries to kill the victorious Ubbe further cementing their status as Wessex’s first Viking power couple.

But it’s Ubbe’s acknowledgement that his conversion to Christianity has been a sham designed to smooth the Viking assimilation into English culture that carries the most weight in this aspect of the story. His admission to Torvi that “something inside me has changed. It doesn’t speak to me,” somewhat confuses the issue because it implies that for a time he had made a connection with Christian teaching, and while it’s understandable he now has doubts about his decision, we know everything he’s done has been in good faith. She’s overjoyed that he’s returned to the “familiar spirits,” and we have now only to wonder whether this could be a problem as the Vikings settle in East Anglia. Having seen the man Ubbe has become and the woman Torvi has always been, it’s seems difficult to believe they won’t try to foster an atmosphere of tolerance on both sides of the religious fence, and Lagertha’s request to go with them to the new settlement gives her a chance to earn Ubbe’s trust and perhaps even his friendship.

As Lagertha prepares to settle in to enjoy her later years as the younger generation takes over, it’s nice to receive validation for something we’ve suspected all along. Her love for Ragnar never waned despite the obstacles that frequently confronted them. Like Ubbe earlier, she bends down and takes a handful of East Anglian soil in her hand and remembers that she and Ragnar began their married life as farmers. “Ragnar, do you see this? Are you watching this? This is our dream.” Her acknowledgment that she’s going home also brings a satisfying ending to her long journey.

However, What Happens In The Cave really lays the groundwork for the season finale and the first half of next year by pushing Ivar’s story to the brink of war. One way or another, a son of Ragnar Lothbrok seems likely to die. Before the battle can begin, however, Ivar must deal with his relationship with Freydis who now faces a mother’s worst nightmare, the death of her child. Freydis is not stupid and immediately suspects Ivar has something to do with their child’s gruesome death at the hands of a pack of foxes. And now that doubts on both sides have begun, whether Ivar will have his wife put death becomes a very real possibility. “Was he really my son? I’m not so sure anymore.”

While it was fairly easy to predict that Hvitserk and Olaf would join forces with Bjorn and Harald in an attempt to take down Ivar, Ivar’s decision to fortify Kattegat’s defenses without acknowledging an awareness of an approaching enemy presents an interesting dilemma. His wife suspects he killed their child, and the people of the village no longer unequivocally back their once revered king. But despite the odds seemingly stacked against him, Ivar is, as Olaf proclaims, “a force of nature,” and his drive and will to succeed should never be overlooked.

Though they’ve agreed to work together, the uneasy alliance formed between Bjorn and King Harald remains on unsteady ground as the armies move toward Kattegat. The weather Harald warned Bjorn about hits their fleet, nearly destroying any chance they have of overthrowing Ivar. Salvaging what they can from the scattered contents of the wrecked ships, it becomes increasingly clear that Ironside and Harald are headed toward their own single combat. Harald’s continued patience and acquiescence towards Bjorn’s demands can only last so long before one man kills the other. A successful military campaign can have only one general, and it seems as if this attack may be over before it even starts. After breaking up round one of their fight, Gunnhild tells them to kill Ivar first, and then fight over control of Kattetat.

Religious ideals continue to drive the narrative from Iceland to Wessex to Kattegat. Floki has lost hope, Ubbe returns to the gods he never really left, Christians and Northmen live and work side by side in Wessex, Hvitserk’s fascination with the Buddha occupies much of his thought, and Magnus’ true faith inadvertantly exposes itself via a shieldmaiden who taunts him for calling out to God during the raging storm. “Did you know your little brother is a Christian?” she asks Bjorn hoping to provoke a response. But Ironside has other things on his mind, and if Magnus wasn’t so disagreeable, it might be easier to feel empathy for a young man struggling to fit in with a group he barely knows.

As Vikings fifth season draws to a close, the events of What Happens In The Cave lead nicely into a season finale that promises to answer, once and for all, the question of whether Bjorn Ironside deserves to wear the crown his parents worked so hard to establish. Have we seen the last of Floki and the Icelandic settlement? Will peace and harmony reign in East Anglia, but more importantly, can Ivar hold onto Kattegat? It’s a lot to look forward to.

Read Dave’s review of the previous episode, Baldur, here.

This review contains spoilers.

3.10 The Stranger

“At 8:47 on a Wednesday morning, Archie Andrews died…at least the Archie we knew.”

After last week’s episode – my least favourite of the series to date – I came into this instalment with both hope and apprehension. It was fairly obvious that Archie would survive, but this being Riverdale, I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised that his resurrection and return home happened immediately as the episode opened. As viewers will be quick to point out, despite the amount of scenes each episode of the show features, certain storylines have a tendency to drag out well beyond their sell-by date. This was certainly true for the Black Hood, and while way more compelling of a plotline, it’s about time for the Gargoyle King to ascend to the next level himself. The point being here that Archie is finally back in Riverdale, and thanks to some subtle course-correcting by writer Brian E. Paterson, once again in the heart of the action.

Suffering from some serious Hiram/bear attack PTSD, he finds himself struggling to return to regular teenage life. Mr Weatherbee recommends that Archie repeat his junior year and, more pressingly, the SATs are in a few days. It’s always hilarious whenever Riverdale does typical teen storylines, knowing that within minutes elsewhere in the show someone will be bleeding out or getting involved in an extended Silence Of The Lambs homage. All of those things happen here, and it is fantastic. While high school life may have been the focus of the great Archie Comics on which this show is (loosely) based, it is extremely odd seeing these kids taking tests and doing other mundane teen things. Then again, this mad plot-shifting is all part of the show’s strange magic, isn’t it?

Further complicating Archie’s homecoming is his now-strained relationship with Veronica. Ronnie is forever torn between her loyalty to the Man in Black and her love for the Red Paladin, even though the former has sworn to end the latter. Varchie never was really in The Notebook territory in terms of aspirational romances, and it’s not like Veronica isn’t more than aware of what her father is capable of. So it’s easy to sympathise with Archie here. Everything bad that has happened in Archie’s life is primarily due to his own stupidity. But Hiram’s machinations are a close second. If Veronica doesn’t realise these facts, then perhaps she is better off in the arms of that increasingly lovable doofus Reggie Mantle.

Reggie’s role on the series is very ill-defined, his cipher nature means that the writers can manipulate his underdevelopment to their whim – which is why he has been portrayed as sports bro, drug-dealer, blood-thirsty antagonist, reliable employee, and, now, opportunistic would-be boyfriend. Are we supposed to be rooting for him or jeering his lovesick puppy dog eyes? We don’t know because it feels like the writers aren’t quite sure. This season has definitely done its share of overtime working Reg into an actual character as opposed to some inconsistent personality traits. Charles Melton is great in the role when given the right sort of material to work here, as seen here. Clearly “Veggie” are doomed due to Veronica and Archie being end game, but ol Arch needs to get his shit together right now, and if going all in on using boxing to deal with his complicated feelings, man, is what he needs to do, so be it.

Speaking of needing to get their shit together, hello Cooper family! In this episode we learned that Alice donated Betty’s college fund to The Farm. Her reasoning is that all the kids who Betty and Ethel liberated from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy need food and shelter, etc, so in Alice’s own addled way, she had good intentions. But also, hell no. Betty rightfully is pissed off, so she enlists the help of Sierra McCoy to try to get her money back. Since Alice forged Hal’s signature, getting him to sign an affidavit should reverse the donation… or something, the legality of the donation is hardly anything more than a plot device to get Betty and the erstwhile Black Hood back together.

Apparently spending all of his time in prison immersed in the works of Thomas Harris, Hal begins manipulating Betty with a tall tale about his involvement in the death of Principal Featherhead back in the ’90s. But twist! He was lying just to get Betty to want to investigate more, and thereby spend time with her incarcerated father. It would be sweet if it weren’t so fucked and toxic. But twist again! The plan actually worked! Betty returns home with the signed affidavit and discovers a feast of vegan milk and oatmeal cookies to celebrate Alice’s new job as a TV reporter and The Farm’s successful purchase of the former home of the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, which will become the group’s new compound. (But, um, doesn’t the document Betty now have in her possession undo the donation Alice illicitly made? Legal folks, speak up in the comments). Distraught, Betty heads back to visit Hal, who comforts her by reminding her that her intelligence will result in plenty of scholarship opportunities.

While his girlfriend is kicking ass at the SATs and dealing with her nutzo family, Jughead learns that Fangs’ infiltration of the Gargoyle Gang has gotten him close to the Gargoyle King himself. The Serpents bust up a big meeting between Fangs and GG to discover that the King is really Tall Boy. They use him to get close to Hiram, who smells trouble and sends new sheriff Claudius Blossom in his stead. While gloating about how he has a way of avoiding danger over the phone to Hermione, Hiram is shot. Did Hubris itself fire the gun? We don’t know! Veronica thinks maybe Archie did it, because he stormed out of the SATs earlier in the day. He realises that Varchie is no more. And with that, the show’s fanbase erupts into tweets and tears. Shh, it’ll be okay, we all know that the couple will be back together sooner or later.

In the season’s most confusing turn of events so far, Fangs shoots Tall Boy as he tries to escape from Dilton’s bunker. Jughead’s suggestion to cover up the shooting is… throw a party? Huh? Fangs and Sweet Pea are just as bewildered as the viewers at home, nevertheless, a party is thrown. One that is enhanced by the arrival of F.P., who was made Sheriff by Hermione while Hiram recovers in the hospital. It seems that F.P. and Hermione are in cahoots, and the strange bedfellows may have their own plan to undermine Hiram…

Read Chris’ review of the previous episode, No Exit, here.