The writer behind upcoming movie Star Wars: Starfighter has ruled out the chance of any familiar face from the franchise's past making a secret cameo, after a recent report confirmed the film would feature a lightsaber duel.

The revelation that Starfighter would feature lightsabers — and lightsaber wielders — set fan tongues' wagging, as they put two and two together with the fact that Starfighter is set post-Rise of Skywalker and the fact that Lucasfilm is keen to feature Rey Skywalker again the future in "several" movies.

Starfighter was originally announced by Lucasfilm as a "standalone" movie with no connection to the main Skywalker Saga or any other spin-off project — and now, the movie's scribe Jonathan Tropper has doubled down on this to rule out any "legacy characters" appearing in any capacity.

While Ascended Heroes is the next big release in the calendar for Pokémon TCG, we can't help but look ahead to further down the line to the most recently announced set, Mega Evolution - Perfect Order. It will feature Mega Zygarde ex, Mega Starmie ex, Mega Clefable ex, and Meowth ex, and now confirmed to be releasing on March 27 this year.

Unsurprisingly, preorders for Perfect Order have been pretty hard to come by so far, with everything currently unavailable at most major retailers. Unfortunately, if you missed The Pokémon Center's latest drop, then it's a waiting game for now. That's at least if you don't want to dabble with the resale market.

Just as it did with Ascended Heroes, TCGplayer has recently launched its selection of presale listings for Perfect Order, giving plenty of fans an alternative to secure the upcoming set (as long as they can stomach the increased cost over MSRP).

I've left a link to everything that's now available in TCGplayer's presale, ready for the March 27, 2026, release. But, if that's not of interest to you, then we can swiftly move on to discussing the latest market price data on display for Perfect Order's sealed products, see how it compares to Ascended Heroes in its run-up to release, alongside the rest of the Mega Evolution series as well.

Perfect Order is actually one of the smallest English sets we've seen in years, with only around "120 cards", including secret rates, and only 88 cards in its main set. Unlike Ascended Heroes, Perfect Order will release its selection of sealed products in one fell swoop on March 27.

Re-Logic has dropped a new teaser trailer for Terraria 1.4.5 — now dubbed the Bigger and Boulder Update — which is set to launch tomorrow, January 27.

The teaser for Bigger and Boulder — I see what you did there, Re-Logic — shows off "over 100 combinations and eight brand new boss tracks," as well as reveals character portraits (including the Goblin Tinkerer), new icons for auto-sorting things like coins, new furniture, and new Palworld and Dead Cells minions.

There also seems to be a pre-hard mode Acorn Tosser, Slime Spear, Slime Whip, and Starcrash Whip, lightning strikes in thunderstorms, Boulder tiles, blocks, and chests, and more. Lots, lots more.

And no, Re-Logic doesn't even say that this is the last update anywhere — despite insisting Terraria had received its last update for years — but of course, with the team promising that crossplay will be "made available some time after 1.4.5," there's at least one more patch on the way.

"When Rockstar learned about the release of Terraria 1.4.5, they postponed GTA 6 in fear," teased one player in the YouTube comments. "I kid you not, I am gonna start on journey mode just to disable corruption spread, Hypeeeeee!" said another on Reddit.

Terraria 1.4.5 releases on January 27 and includes "things that got left out of 1.4.4" plus crossover events with Dead Cells and a second collab with Pocketpair's Palworld, this time for Terraria players. The upcoming features were published on the Terraria wiki, and outline what to expect from 1.4.5 when it comes out. Expect official and final patch notes soon.

Terraria is pretty old at this point; IGN reviewed it 15 years ago(!) in 2011. Even then, though, we thought it was amazing, scoring it 9/10 and writing: "Though on the surface it looks like just another "me too" indie game seeking to ride the coattails of Minecraft's success, Terraria expands on the familiar sandbox gameplay with a greater emphasis on combat and adventure that proves very satisfying. That's rare indeed."

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi has said his under-wraps Star Wars script is designed to recapture the sense of fun found in the sci-fi saga's original trilogy.

Waititi's on-again, off-again work on a Star Wars movie has been ongoing since at least 2020 and at times has felt unlikely to ever release due to the director's busy schedule and after a divisive reception to his most recent Marvel project.

Still, Waititi's take on a galaxy far, far away was recently mentioned again by outgoing Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy, who described it as "somewhat alive" — which was a more promising update than several other Star Wars movie projects that Kennedy had worked on which she simply didn't mention at all.

DC fans have criticized a social media user for spamming James Gunn about Spider-Man director Sam Raimi wanting to make a Batman movie after the DC Universe boss responded to the deluge on Instagram.

“I love Batman,” Raimi told Movieweb last week. “I tried to make a Batman film. I couldn’t get the rights.”

That was enough to set off Instagram user sethpelepchuk, who spammed Gunn’s page with the same message over and over again: “Sam Raimi said he wants to make a Batman movie.” Eventually Gunn responded: “Doesn’t mean you have to spam.” sethpelepchuk’s account was subsequently made private.

DC fans have criticized the social media user, while also expressing surprise that Gunn responded at all, fearing doing so might have encouraged copycats. “James Gunn should not be responding to these people. It sets a bad precedent,” said one fan. “The number one way to make sure your idea has zero chance of actually happening is to annoy the heck out of people with it,” said another. “This is embarrassing and leads to nothing,” added a fan. "At this point, if Sam Raimi DOESN’T make the Batman movie in the DCU it’s 100% sethpelepchuk’s fault," declared another.

Y’all want Sam Raimi to direct DCU’s Batman so bad that James Gunn is getting annoyed by spam 💀 pic.twitter.com/NIgmBLb5Oz

— Buu 🍫 (@PogChampBuu) January 25, 2026

Spamming James Gunn's IG comments is a brilliant way to make sure that writer/director/actor you want for the DCU doesn't get a call.

— 🐦Shawn🤷‍♂️Lunn🐦 (@shawnlunn2002) January 25, 2026

Gunn is particularly chatty on social media, and will often respond to questions from fans about his DCU plans, and even spend time denying internet rumors about upcoming films, TV shows, and casting. He will of course be perfectly aware of Sam Raimi's directing abilities, and who might be a good fit to spearhead his take on Batman.

For context, here’s Raimi’s quote on Batman in full:

“I love Batman. I tried to make a Batman film. I couldn't get the rights. I love The Shadow. I also couldn't get the rights to that one. But, um, Superman's always been one of my favorites. Yeah, there's a tremendous amount of DC characters that I love, and it would just take the writers to come up with an original story based on their character, that's true to the character and part of their real universe, not something that disappoints the fans, but something that's based on the fans love of the character and brings out the best moment of those characters and their proper conflicts, or the right challenges for the right hero. If it was a story that had a real journey for that particular individual. Then I'd love to make the movie.”

The issue of the DCU’s new Batman is very much a hot topic, with The Brave and the Bold getting a writer but with DC reportedly in no rush to put out yet another Batman movie.

Last week, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Christina Hodson is writing The Brave and the Bold, which will be the first Batman movie in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Universe. Hodson is best known for writing 2018’s Transformers spinoff Bumblebee, 2020 DCEU movie Birds of Prey, and 2023’s ill-fated The Flash.

She was thought to be set for a reunion with The Flash director Andy Muschietti, but according to THR, Muschietti remains on board The Brave and the Bold but his involvement is not set in stone given his commitments to Welcome to Derry Season 2. Either way, it sounds like The Brave and the Bold is some way away. THR said “it would be some time before a definitive draft comes in as the studio is taking a measured approach to its development.”

So, hearing of Raimi’s failed bid to direct a Batman movie has some fans hoping he will finally get the chance with The Brave and the Bold. While promoting the rebooted DCU kickstarter Superman last year, Gunn admitted "Batman's my biggest issue in all of DC right now." Gunn must navigate next year’s release of The Batman 2 and potentially The Batman 3. The Batman films exist in a universe separate to the ongoing DCU, and given Gunn has ruled out Pattinson’s Batman crossing over, we’re set for a new actor to play the Caped Crusader for The Brave and the Bold.

Last week Gunn suggested fans won’t get an update on The Brave and the Bold until after The Batman 2 comes out, so we’re probably looking at 2028 at the earliest for news. “I'm dependent on when there's an actionable script ready so there is no way of me guessing this,” he said. “Also, frankly, we're well into Batman 2, and I wouldn't want to cloud the Batsphere until after that.”

Gunn then committed to never releasing two Batman movies in the same year. “I think both Batman and WW [Wonder Woman] are incredibly important,” he said in response to another fan. “But I'm also not going to have two Batman movies come out in the same year.”

Meanwhile, Raimi, who directed 2002’s Spider-Man, 2004’s Spider-Man 2, 2007’s Spider-Man 3, and 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, has ruled out a Spider-Man 4 once and for all. He told ScreenRant that his versions of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, played by Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, “have gone elsewhere.”

“And then after my three movies, I handed the torch off to someone else,” he said. “And I think they’ve got to keep running with the storyline and the audience that is now following the torchbearer.”

Photo by L. Cohen/WireImage.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

A reliable leaker has revealed Sony's main PlayStation Plus Monthly offering for February, more than a week before it becomes available.

Boxing game Undisputed will headline next month's lineup, according to Dealabs' billbil-kun, who says that the liscensed punchup title will be the month's main game available. So, while other titles are expected, Undisputed will be February's main addition.

Undisputed is expected to become available on February 3, for PlayStation Plus subscribers across all tiers from Essential upwards. As ever, it should remain available for a month, until March 3. We'll follow up with February's other PlayStation Plus Monthly games whenever Sony announces them.

January's PlayStation Plus Monthly games are of course currently still available to claim, including Disney's Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, Core Keeper and Need for Speed Unbound.

Originally launched in October 2024 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, Undisputed is notable for being the first major licensed boxing video game in over a decade, since the EA-published Fight Night Champion.

"Developer Steel City Interactive's approach to boxing in Undisputed is on the right track, but there's a long road ahead of it," IGN wrote in its Undisputed review, which returned a 6/10 score.

"Its emphasis on realism, preparing for fights using RPG-like mechanics, and creating an adrenaline-filled experience in the ring are significant building blocks. Still, the fluidity of its gameplay animations and reactiveness of its commentators don’t come close to living up to the high bar that was set by the Fight Night series back in the late 2000s, and its realistic fighting can be a little dull if you’re in the mood for a KO instead of a TKO."

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Marvel's Jeremy Renner and Hailey Steinfeld-starring Disney+ TV series Hawkeye sounds like it won't get a second season, despite the idea having been recently explored.

Speaking to The Direct, Hawkeye's consulting producer Andrew Guest — now showrunner on new superhero series Wonder Man — acknowledged that "there was talk" on bringing the show back for a second run, but it didn't work out due to "timing."

Discussion of Hawkeye returning has gone on for years, and previously hit the headlines when Renner said he had initially been pitched an "insult offer" to return for less money. Subsequently, though, fans' hopes had been raised that Marvel was smoothing things over, as Renner later commented that he would be "happy to do Season 2" and "always dance with Marvel."

Most notable of all, Guest himself strongly indicated that Hawkeye would get a second season just months ago. "We'll work it out," Guest said in October last year. "It's gonna be great." Now, however, the showrunner has taken a decidedly different tone.

"There was talk at a certain point about... we did explore creatively what Season 2 of Hawkeye might be if we were able to do it," Guest said this month, mentioning that it would have featured a Die Hard-esque Christmas vibe.

"Unfortunately, the timing didn't work out in terms of Marvel and all the various pieces that need to come together, but I loved working on Hawkeye," he continued. "I think Renner and Hailee Steinfeld are so terrific together, and I would love to see more of those two."

It's unclear what exactly has happened to seemingly end the hopes of Hawkeye Season 2 happening, though the impending arrival of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars means Marvel has a lot on its plate — and while neither Renner or Steinfeld are announced as appearing yet, fans expect them to make appearances at some point.

Could Renner and Steinfeld's reunion now be moved to Avengers? Or has Marvel's plans for a Young Avengers/Champions team-up featuring Steinfeld's character Kate Bishop now taken precedence? Whatever is the case, it's now perhaps wise not to expect Hawkeye Season 2 soon, if ever.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

The director of Return to Silent Hill, Christophe Gans, has said that despite receiving death threats over adapting the horror series for the big screen, he would be open to bringing another instalment to life.

Talking to Variety, Gans admitted that 2006's Silent Hill was "a big challenge to adapt correctly and respectfully a game which is considered a classic," saying: "We know that the people who love video games are very passionate. I remember when I did the first film, I received plenty of death threats.

"People were saying, ‘If you mess up this one, we are going to find you,'" Gans added. "So I came onto the first film with great responsibility, and certainly even more with the second one. At the same time, it was important for me to imagine a movie that people who are not playing games can be interested in."

Gans siad he was heavily involved in all aspects of Return to Silent Hill, which was shot over 50 days across 67 sets, and had a budget of around $23 million. "I spent one year just designing everything, storyboarding everything, making tons of artwork. When I came on the pre-production, I was very well prepared," he said. "Sometimes, what was difficult was to make people who are not players understand why some elements were so important. Sometimes I had to fight because the fans would be pleased. When I’m doing a film, I’m obsessed by the detail, so that’s the fuel of my work as a director."

Even with the death threats, though, Gans isn't deterred from bringing another Silent Hill game to the big screen (and I've been told he hinted at a recent screening in France that he has his eye on Silent Hill: The Room next).

“If I have the opportunity, we’ll come back to Silent Hill once more,” he said. “I’m not looking at Silent Hill only as a great video game. I’m looking at it as a piece of modern art. It has something really edgy and experimental.

"I will adapt another chapter because there are some that are extremely good, something very different from the first film, and now Return to Silent Hill. I like this world, and I can see that plenty of people are thinking I’m doing a pretty good job.”

IGN's Return to Silent Hill review returned a 5/10. We said: "Return to Silent Hill isn’t completely without merit. It’s certainly a better follow-up to Cristophe Gans’ original 2006 film than 2012’s Silent Hill: Revelation, one that finds some success drawing on the creepy imagery and sound design of the games. But it’s ultimately an adaptation that fails to improve upon the source material or do anything particularly new and interesting. Those craving a truly great psychological horror experience are better off booting up a version of Silent Hill 2."

You can find out more about what was and wasn't changed in the Silent Hill 2 movie adaptation right here. We also have a handy list of all the video game movies and TV shows coming in 2026 and beyond.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

With Lorwyn Eclipsed now out, our attention will soon sharply be turning to the next Magic set of 2026, which is also the first "Universes Beyond" release of the year: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

And, if you’re already sold on meeting up with cardboard versions of the Heroes in a Half Shell, their friends, and their foes, then good news - Amazon is once again discounting booster boxes, which are now down to their lowest ever price, and even lower than a previous best we saw just a couple of weeks ago.

A TV spot for The Odyssey aired during the New England Patriots vs Denver Broncos AFC Championship game over the weekend, and the short trailer revealed Travis Scott’s speaking role and a new look at Tom Holland as Telemachus, Odysseus' son.

The Odyssey, written and directed by Christopher Nolan and due out July 17, 2026, is based on Homer’s saga, and is described as “a mythic action epic” shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology.

The Odyssey's debut trailer, released last month, featured Matt Damon's Odysseus, the legendary Greek king of Ithaca, saying that after years of war, nothing can stand between his men and home. We then see Spider-Man star Tom Holland as Telemachus, Odysseus's son who is determined to find his father. A concerned Anne Hathaway, as Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, looks on.

This new promo, which soon emerged on YouTube and social media platforms after it was broadcast, starts with Telemachus asking questions about his absent father amid a gathering of soldiers. Menelaus, the Greek king of Sparta and Agamemnon's brother played by Punisher actor Jon Bernthal, calls for a story of Odysseus' adventures. We then see Scott tell the tale of Odysseus infiltrating the city of Troy using the legendary Trojan Horse. Menelaus looks at Telemachus as Scott’s character stands on a table to recount the story in dramatic fashion.

“A man,” Scott says. “A trick. A trick to break the walls of Troy. It's burning, screaming to the ground.”

“Let’s go home,” Matt Damon’s Odysseus declares after victory.

We saw a glimpse at the Troy tale in the debut trailer (which sparked a debate about historical accuracy). Trojan soldiers drag the Trojan Horse from the sea. Inside, Damon and his soldiers hide, silently. One soldier, cut by a sword that pierces the horse, is forced to stay silent by his desperate comrades. Other scenes teased in the debut trailer include the Cyclops, who enters a cave filled with soldiers, and the undead rising from the ground itself.

It's worth noting that The Odyssey isn't the first time Scott and Nolan have worked together. The American rapper and singer-songwriter recorded The Plan for the sountrack to Nolan's time-bending 2020 movie, Tenet.

Last week, Damon discussed how tough it was filming The Odyssey, which he said had a “profound” effect on him. In an interview with Netflix to promote new movie The Rip, Damon said he was still “unpacking” the experience of filming The Odyssey, but admitted “it did have a profound effect on me.”

“If I look objectively at what was required to do that job, I think it came at just the right time in my life,” he revealed. “I think I would've been miserable 20 years ago trying to do that job. Because you were uncomfortable every day, but I really enjoyed… like, deeply enjoyed every minute of it.”

Earlier this month, Damon revealed he slimmed down to his high school weight for the role. "I had a beard like yours for like a year," he told Jason and Travis Kelce on a recent episode of their podcast, New Heights. "I was in really good shape. I lost a lot of weight. [Nolan] wanted me lean but strong."

He also noted that a specific change in diet helped him get there. "Just because of this other thing that I did with my doctor, I stopped eating gluten,” Damon explained. “I used to walk around at between 185 and 200, and I did that whole movie at 167. And I haven't been that light since high school. So it was a lot of training and a really strict diet."

The Ocean’s Eleven star also told the hosts how training so intensely for the role felt like playing a season of professional sports. "I imagine what that feels like for you guys, where you're preparing," Damon said to the Kelces. "It's just part of your day, it's part of your job, and you get really routinized about it and kinda build your day around all that stuff."

The Odyssey is Nolan's 13th film, after previously helming Following, Memento, Insomnia, The Prestige, Inception, Interstellar, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Dunkirk, Tenet, and Oppenheimer. Such is the anticipation for the movie, that a limited number of The Odyssey tickets went on sale last summer — a year in advance of the film opening.

While Nolan has long been celebrated as one of the great directors of modern cinema, The Odyssey is expected to perform particularly strongly following the breakout success of Oppenheimer, the Cillian Murphy-led biopic that fuelled one half of the Barbenheimer phenomenon. Oppenheimer earned a staggering $975 million during its theatrical run, and walked away with Best Picture at the Oscars.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Baboo! Are you looking for Heartopia codes? You've come to the right place. Here you'll find all the codes that we've collected for the cozy sim. Redeeming these will give you currency, resources, and extra Gold to help you settle into your new home.

Working Codes for Heartopia (January 2026)

• r4p8n6m2q9 - Wishing Star x10, Mermaid Fish Attractor x3, Fertilizer x10 - (NEW!) (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• heartopia10m - Wishing Star x10 - (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• lifewithline - Wishing Star x10 - (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• happy2026 - Moonlight Crystal x10, 8,888 Gold - (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• k7m9q2a8l5 - Wishing Star x5, Mermaid Fish Attractor x3, Fertilizer x10 (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• true5mthks - Quality Timber x10, Chef's Special Salad x2, Branches x20 (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• heartopia5m - Wishing Star x5 (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• r4a8x2n - Wishing Star x5, Growth Booster x10, Orange x10 (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• top1thanks - Wishing Star x5, Mermaid Perfum x2, Mandarin x10 (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• b8n2k5l - Flawless Fluorite x2, Rare Timber x6, Stone x10 (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• letsparty - Wishing Star x15, 5,000 Gold, Repair Kit x3 (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• dcthx4u - Wishing Star x10 (Valid Until: 29 June 2026)
• m7r9q4a - Mermaid Perfumex2, 10,000 Gold, Egg x10 (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• x2l8k6p - Wishing Star x5, Fertilizer x10, Apple x10 (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• h9q3a7m5 - Roaming Oak Timber x2, Milk x10, Timber x10 (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• z4p6n8r2 - Quality Timber x10, Chef's Special Salad x2, Branches x20 (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• letsdressup - Wishing Star x15, 5,000 Gold, Growth Booster x10 (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• letsbuild - Wishing Star x 15, 5,000 Gold, Fertilizer x10 (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• a7k9m2q8l - Wishing Star x5, Repair Kit x3, Blueberries x10 (Valid Until: 31 March 2026)
• mylittlepony - Moonlight Crystals x100 (Valid Until: 7 February 2026)
• heartopia0108 - Moonlight Crystals x100 (Valid Until: 7 February 2026)
• specialgift0103 - Moonlight Crystals x100 (Valid Until: 7 February 2026)

Expired Codes for Heartopia

There are currently no expired codes for Heartopia, so you've got lots of goodies to redeem above!

How to Use Heartopia Codes

Looking to play Heartopia and want to know how to redeem codes? Follow these steps:

1. Launch Heartopia on your phone or PC
2. Create your character and select "complete"
3. Press Tab on PC or tap the watch in the top-right corner
4. Click Setting
5. On the General Tab, look for the Redeem Code bubble button in the bottom right
6. Copy the code from this article and paste it into the bar that reads "Case Insensitive"
7. Click Redeem and if the code has been successful, it will say "Redeemed! Please check the mailbox for rewards."

FAQs for Heartopia

Have a particular question about Heartopia and codes? See our answers to frequently asked questions below.

How to Collect Heartopia Rewards - Where Is The Mailbox?

Rewards are automatically sent to your Mailbox once you've redeemed codes. To find your Mailbox, press Tab or tap the watch in the top-right corner. Click Mailbox. All of the gifts you've received can be then be claimed. You can do this individually by opening each mail, or by pressing Claim All in the bottom left corner.

Why Isn't My Code for Heartopia Working?

When a code doesn't work for Heartopia it's usually because of two reasons:

• The code for Heartopia has expired
• There's a spelling mistake or an additional space in the code

Codes for Heartopia are not case-sensitive, but they are often a series of letters and numbers. The best way to ensure you've got a working code is to directly copy it from this article. We check all codes before we upload them, so you can guarantee they're working. Just double-check that you haven't copied over an extra space!

How Do I Get More Codes for Heartopia?

We regularly check and test new codes, so the best way to get more codes for Heartopia is to visit this article. But if you want to mine for codes yourself, then the Discord server for Heartopia is the best place to go.

Lauren Harper is an Associate Guides Editor. She loves a variety of games but is especially fond of puzzles, horrors, and point-and-click adventures.

Full spoilers follow for Primal Season 3, Episode 3, “Feast of Flesh,” which is available on Adult Swim now and debuts on HBO Max on January 26.

The thing about Primal Season 3 so far is that it’s doing a slow burn, really taking its time getting zombie Spear to where he’s almost certainly going – to find his family, or at the very least to find out what happened to his family. So if you’re down with a contemplative eight or nine minutes featuring a thinking zombie playing with a flying cricket-esque bug, then you’re in luck. But if that’s not your cup of tea, well… don’t worry, because the slow burns have also been sure to include plenty of goopy, head-smashing violence as well, and you get that in the last 10 minutes of “Feast of Flesh.”

But come on, the extended opening sequence this week which finds Spear happening upon a beautiful turquoise and violet cricket is something to behold. For the most part, Primal has left behind the dinosaurs so far this season, but creator Genndy Tartakovsky and his team have given us plenty of more “modern,” I suppose, animal life, like the lions, antelope type critters and birds from last week. And here the gentle animation of this little insect just munching out on a leaf while Spear watches it in amazement is, well, amazing.

Of course, Spear keeps getting those flashes to his past, which have become clear at this point to be of Fang, his old dino friend. But what is it in this cricket that has him so fascinated? Is it the bug’s color scheme, which partially matches Fang’s? Is it the memory of a wild beast fending for itself in the forest? Or does he feel an aching, a longing for the friendship he once had with such a creature?

The score by Tyler Bates and Joanne Higginbottom this week highlights the more whimsical nature of Spear’s frolicking with the cricket, whether he’s chasing it through the brush, finding that it’s landed on his arm and is staring directly at him, or realizing that it’s crawling onto his head (brain). By the time he saves the bug from being eaten by a reptile, we’re fully invested in this thing – and its connection to Spear. It’s a cute little guy, as is the entire segment, and it all serves to create a bond between the two… or at least we the viewer form a bond between Spear and the cricket in our minds. And certainly Spear feels it as well… Does the cricket, though? It’s hard to say.

As mentioned, the second half of “Feat of Flesh” does become more of an action-palooza, as Spear finds himself captured by – let’s face it – some hateful little flesh-eating monsters. They’re small, but there’s a ton of them, and by the time Spear awakens after being knocked unconscious (which apparently is a thing that can happen to a zombie of his variety), he’s been strung up upside down and had all the flesh eaten off of his right hand and half his arm. He’s also surrounded by the dangling skeletons of these creatures’ past victims.

Not surprisingly, his savior arrives in the form of his cricket friend. It’s funny how the insect first shows up unseen, doing its chirping thing; anyone who’s had a cricket get into their house knows how the flesh-eaters must feel in that moment. But soon enough the cricket takes to annoying the little mutants as it buzzes around them, giving Spear the chance to escape from his trap.

At this point, Primal could have gone one of two ways. Spear and the cricket defeat the mutants together and escape the cave, or the cricket gets smooshed and Spear takes his revenge. I gasped when the latter happened, even if I should’ve known it was inevitable. The look on Spear’s face when he sees his dead friend, and the animation of the thing in its death throes as its little legs twitch for their final time, is heartbreaking. Dammit, Primal made me fall in love with a bug.

This review contains full spoilers for this week’s episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

Titled “Hard Salt Beef,” this week’s episode begins with Dunk’s quest to find a noble lord who can vouch for his dead master, the hilariously well-endowed Ser Arlan of Pennytree, so that he can participate in the Ashford tourney. The problem? No one remembers Ser Arlan.

Even after Dunk succeeds in finding someone who does – Prince Baelor "Breakspear" Targaryen (Bertie Carvel), a Targaryen who is actually a nice guy?! – it’s not until he sees the knights of the Great Houses clash at the tourney (which has big NASCAR and WWE vibes) that Dunk realizes he’s romanticized Ser Arlan, admitting to his squire Egg: “Do great knights live in the hedges and die by the side of a muddy road?”

The thrust of this episode is Dunk’s growing disenchantment with knighthood. The knights he’s encountered so far at Ashford have mostly been entitled and abusive jerks, not the chivalrous warriors of legend. At first the prospect of a member of the Small Folk like Dunk rising above his station seems possible, especially after meeting Ser Donnel of Duskendale; surely, if the son of a crabber can become a great knight, then why not Dunk? After Egg reveals that Ser Donnel isn’t some working class hero but a member of a prosperous and powerful merchant family, it’s the beginning of the end of Dunk’s pipe dream. “What chance do I have, truly?”

The knights’ casual dismissal of Ser Arlan isn’t just about them brushing off the deeds of a hedge knight, but a rejection of the values Dunk believes a knight should stand for. This gap between the ideal and the reality of knighthood appears to be putting Dunk on a collision course with the very men whose ranks he seeks to join. In the end, Dunk is so upset that none of the knights (except Baelor) remembered his mentor and father figure – he calls himself Ser Arlan’s “legacy” – that he vows to use the Ashford tourney to “show them what his hand has wrought.” If he can’t join ’em, he’ll beat ’em…or so he hopes.

The knights aren’t the only people Dunk encounters in this episode who are nasty to him, with everyone from a stable boy to Lady Gwin demeaning him (“You’re big and stupid!”). People have called Dunk dumb his whole life, as he recalls to Egg, but, well, he is a big dope. That’s part of Dunk’s charm; he’s simple yet sweet, and is especially good to horses. He has a kind heart, and credits Ser Arlan with raising him to know what’s right.

As he peels back the layers of his seemingly simple-minded hero, Peter Claffey continues to impress as the lovable doofus Dunk, while Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg smartly plays his cards close to the vest as a squire who behaves like he has something to hide. Their banter is among the highlights of this episode, particularly Egg’s response to Dunk’s observation that he’s always been called stupid. It was also sweet to see how Egg helped Dunk when he was struggling to articulate what sigil he wants the puppeteer Tanselle to paint on his shield.

Speaking of Egg, it’s curious how fast he hightailed it back to camp once he spotted the Targaryens riding into town, not to mention that he knows more about knights and the Great Houses of Westeros than a kid his age probably should…

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