This Star Wars article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian. 

The Mandalorianepisode 8 answers some major questions about how connected this show is to the Mandalorian lore we’ve seen elsewhere. Connections to The Clone Wars abound, as does some form of closure for Mando and Baby Yoda. All that plus a wrap-up and more reveals about characters like Moff Giden, Cara Dune, and the Armorer make for a packed episode when it comes to easter eggs and Star Wars tie-ins. 

Here are all the easter eggs and references we found in the episode:

Moff Gideon and the Empire 

-The stormtroopers chatting in the very beginning of the episode miss the piece of junk they’re shooting at when they fire their blasters out of boredom. The lull in conversation is also a chance to get back to that old Star Wars joke: stormtroopers can’t aim, or certainly can’t shoot through the heroes’ Plot Armor, no matter how precise Obi-Wan said they are.

These soldiers also exude big Tag and Bink vibes. This dim-witted duo starred in a series of Dark Horse comics in the 2000s. Existing in the periphery of the Skywalker saga, these two Imperials were around for some of the biggest moments in Star Wars history and always managed to mess up whatever they were doing. Like the stormtroopers in this episode, Tag and Bink would have almost certainly lost Baby Yoda.

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- The E-Web heavy repeating blaster first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, in which a stormtrooper can be seen manning the gun and turret. It was also a staple of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game and several video games. 

- Moff Gideon is described as “an ISB officer during the purge”. The acronym stands for Imperial Security Bureau. This means he was one of the Emperor’s agents who served as a mix of spy, torturer, and police officer who watched the Imperial ranks for signs of sedition. Another agent of the ISB was Alexsandr Kallus from the Rebels animated series.

- The ranks of both clone troopers and Imperial stormtroopers have included flametroopers like the one who tries to burn Mando and friends out of their hiding place. These specialized soldiers wear flamethrowers and flame-resistant armor. The one in episode eight looks a bit different than others I’m familiar with. The red markings were also seen on a flametrooper in the middle grade series Adventures in Wild Space, albeit without the heavy red face stripes pictured in The Mandalorian. 

- The concept for Gideon's Outland TIE fighter, which we covered in more detail last week, was actually conceived during pre-production for The Force Awakens, according to Star Wars historian Phil Szostak. After years of existing only as concept art, it finally came to life on The Mandalorian.

Cara Dune

- Gideon has apparently researched his enemies’ histories (appropriate for an ISB officer). He knows Cara is from Alderaan, Princess Leia’s homeworld and the planet destroyed by the Death Star in A New Hope. Wanting revenge and/or justice for her home world would certainly explain why she joined the Rebellion and became attached enough to the cause to get the starbird symbol tattooed on her cheek. 

- He also uses her full name, Carasynthia Dune, which actor Gina Carano first revealed in an interview with ESPN. 

- Cara says that because of her Rebel history, the Empire might subject her to interrogation by a “mind flayer.” Meanwhile, Greef doesn’t think these are real. The term “mind flayer” usually refers to a psychic monster from Dungeons & Dragons, but it’s possible that it’s Star Wars slang for something like Bor Gullet. The alien Bor Gullet was used to interrogate Bodhi Rook in Rogue One. This creature can reveal whether someone is telling the truth, while risking the victim’s sanity in the process. 

The Mandalorians 

- Among Gideon’s other speechifying comes the Mandalorian’s real name: he’s Din Djarin. This isn’t exactly a secret: Pedro Pascal mentioned it in an interview, although official sources have been quiet about it since. 

- Here we go with the Clone Wars connections. Gideon directly references the Imperial assault against the Mandalorians in The Siege of Mandalore, a.k.a. “night of a thousand tears.” The Siege has been a long-established but only briefly dramatized point in canon Mandalorian history. Jedi Ahsoka Tano worked to depose the former Sith Lord Maul, who took over Mandalore toward the end of the Old Republic's reign. This event has been referenced in The Clone Wars several times but takes place later in the timeline than the show itself. It was briefly dramatized in the novel Ahsoka, and is slated to appear in the upcoming season of The Clone Wars. Order 66 took place right in the middle of this siege, and in the resulting chaos the Empire took power. Gideon is probably referring to that violent takeover with his reference to the “thousand tears.” 

Read More: The Mandalorian Ending Explained

- Cara Dune says it isn’t surprising that Dyn Jarren isn’t from Mandalore: after all, “Mandalorian isn’t a race. It’s a creed.” This confirms that Mandalorians after the Galactic Civil War operate like they did in the Expanded Universe, allowing anyone to wear the helmet as long as they swear to the Mandalorian code of honor. 

- The Armorer says Mandalore the Great fought against “an army of sorcerers called Jedi." As well as being the name of their planet, the word Mandalore can refer to the leader of the group. In Legends, “Mandalore the Ultimate” waged a war against Jedi in the ancient Old Republic times. 

- Moff Gideon cuts his way out of his crashed TIE Fighter with a black lightsaber. To Mandalorian fans, this is a kick in the teeth— he’s carrying the Darksaber, the ceremonial weapon of the leader of the planet Mandalore. Built by a Mandalorian Jedi in ancient times, it was most recently seen in the hands of Bo-Katan Kryze. (Not to be confused with the Legends superweapon the Darksaber, a little-discussed variant on the Death Star’s super laser.)

The Clone Wars

This episode gives us a cohesive version of the flashback which was previously disjointed. It shows Separatist battleships like those seen throughout Prequel-era material as well as the B2 super battle droid that was a staple ground unit of Count Dooku's army. 

Aliens and Creatures

- Tatooine isn’t the only planet with Jawa scavengers: several Jawas show up on Nevarro acting pretty much like their Tatooine counterpars. They strip away pieces of Gideon's fallen TIE fighter until the man himself cuts his way out of the cockpit.

- The lava barge pilot droid appears to be an R2 unit, but it’s equipped with long legs and arms that allow it to row the boat above the dangerous lava river. 

Megan Crouse writes about Star Wars and pop culture for StarWars.com, Star Wars Insider, and Den of Geek. Read more of her work here. Find her on Twitter @blogfullofwords.

Not since the heyday of Baby Groot has a tiny version of a beloved character captured the hearts in the way that The Child from The Mandalorian has. Granted, he's not actually a wee version of Yoda (at least, not that we know of yet...but hey, cloning is a thing in the Star Wars universe), but The Child is most definitely a member of the beloved Jedi Master's species. And yeah, his cuteness is so powerful that one of the few things that everyone can agree on in 2019 is that they want merchandise based on The Child right now. Here's a rundown of what's available and coming soon!

The Child 11" Vinyl Head Plush

In order to not spoil the surprise ending of The Mandalorian's first episode, production on official merchandise based on The Child was held back. But good things come to those who wait, so you can pre-order this fantastic replica of the big-eared cuddlebug from Disney and Mattel that features a plush body and vinyl head now -- with expected delivery on May 25th.

Buy The Child 11" Vinyl Head Plush here

Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Child Funko POP!

Available in a 3 3/4" sized model and a 10" Super-Sized version, this Funko POP! of The Child allows you to bring the character's infinite cuteness with you everywhere. Will be available on May 15, 2020.

Buy the Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Child Funko POP! here

The Mandalorian Jigsaw Puzzle

Another officially licensed product -- scheduled to be released on December 30th -- this 500-piece puzzle allows you to literally piece together the mystery of The Child.

Buy The Mandalorian Jigsaw Puzzle here

The Child T-Shirt

Show off your Baby Yoda with this T-shirt, available in various colors and sizes...unlike The Child himself, who is consistently small and green.

Buy The Child T-Shirt here

Baby Yoda Vinyl Decal Sticker

Hopefully, Baby Yoda will be sticking around for the duration of The Mandalorian's run. That will remain to be seen, but he can, uh, stick to your laptop, locker, notebook, or bumper with this sturdy vinyl decal.

Buy the Baby Yoda Vinyl Decal Sticker here

The Mandalorian: The Discovery T-Shirt

The magic of the jaw-dropping closing scene of The Mandalorian's premiere episode is celebrated in this T-shirt, also available in various size and color options.

Buy The Mandalorian: The Discovery T-Shirt here

Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Child PopSockets Grip Stand

Perfect for use with your phone and/or tablet, this PopSockets Grip ensures that The Child will never be too far from you.

Buy Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Child PopSockets Grip Stand here

The Mandalorian: The Child: Portrait T-Shirt

GAH! We know we sound like a broken record here, but just look at this little guy, SO CUTE. As is this T-shirt, obviously.

Buy The Mandalorian: The Child: Portrait T-Shirt here

The Mandalorian: The Child: Floating Pod Shirt

Let us not forget that Baby Yoda also his a sick ride: His floating pod!

Buy The Mandalorian: The Child: Floating Pod Shirt here

The Mandalorian: The Child: Precious Cargo T-Shirt

As far as Mando is concerned (as well as viewers everywhere) The Child is precious cargo -- a sentiment that is repeated on this T-shirt, which is also available in a range of sizes and colors.

Buy The Mandalorian: The Child: Precious Cargo T-Shirt here

The Mandalorian: The Child: Co-Pilot T-Shirt

One of the greatest things about The Mandalorian are the scenes in which Mando suddenly finds himself having to deal with caring for The Child. Even in a galaxy far, far away kids get fussy. We just hope there's not a Space Diaper change scene coming up!

Buy The Mandalorian: The Child: Co-Pilot T-Shirt here

The Mandalorian: The Child: First Memories T-Shirt

Shut up, we're not crying, you're crying.

Buy The Mandalorian: The Child: First Memories T-Shirt here

The Mandalorian: The Child: Nap Time T-Shirt

Because whether you are an office worker or a cuddly green cutie in another galaxy, the desire for naps is a strong one.

Buy The Mandalorian: The Child: Nap Time T-Shirt here

The Mandalorian: The Child Infant Bodysuit

With a fun ugly Christmas sweater graphic, the Force is strong with this onesie inspired by The Mandalorian.

Buy The Mandalorian: The Child Infant Bodysuit here

The Mandalorian: The Child: Pullover Hoodie

Available in several colors and sizes, this pullover hooded sweatshirt features a fantastic image of The Child ready for a day of mischief and frog-eating.

Buy The Mandalorian: The Child: Pullover Hoodie here

Star Wars: The Bounty Collection: The Child

These 2.25-inch collectibles feature the Child in some of his most iconic poses to date. They'll be available in three separate two-packs, priced $15.99 each.

Buy The Bounty Collection: The Child collectibles on Amazon

Star Wars: The Black Series: The Child Figure

From Hasbro's Black Series line of collectible action figures is this 1.12-inch figure that comes with his little soup bowl, the knob from Mando's ship that the Child is so find of, and even a Sorgan frog to eat. This one is a mere $9.99.

Buy the Black Series The Child figure on Amazon

Star Wars: The Child: Talking Plush Toy

Saving the best for last, obviously, here's Hasbro's Talking Plush version of Baby Yoda. Desire is a wonderful, terrible thing, no? This will retail for $24.99. Take all of our money please.

All of the above are available for pre-order from your favorite online toy retailer now. They will be available in Spring of 2020, which seems impossibly far away but really isn't on a cosmic scale. Besides, this little love nugget is worth the wait!

Buy the Child Talking Plush Toy on Amazon

Around about the middle of December, Den of Geek was lucky enough to attend an early screening of "Spyfall," part one of the Doctor Who Season 12 premiere. You can read our spoiler-free thoughts at this link, if you fancy.

After the screening, there was a Q&A with showrunner Chris Chibnall, star Jodie Whittaker and the rest of the core cast. We'll be allowed to share more chunks of this chat once the episode has come out, but for now, we've got some tantalising teases to offer.

Asked what he was most excited to do in this series that he didn't do last time, Chibnall said this: "I think two-parters, for start. We very deliberately, last year, had single episodes so that anybody could join at any week. And now, these two-parters, there's a greater scale to those stories - you can see from that ["Spyfall" part one, which we'd just watched]. And we've got a two-parter at the end of the series as well, so there's that."

read more: Watch the Doctor Who Season 12 Premiere in Theaters

There's your confirmation that Doctor WhoSeason 12 will open and close with two-part stories, then!

Asked what else he is looking forward to, Chibnall added this: "Cybermen, I was really excited about that [...] I was really looking forward to seeing Jodie up against Cybermen, and these guys [the companions]. Putting those things together. So, yeah, they're great."

Chibnall also said this about his work on Doctor Who: "I always think my job is to feed the team who work on the show. And all those challenges and all those different places and all those different worlds we've been to this year, and also those different characters and monsters. It's the variety, so like, week on week, you feel like you're not where you where you'd expect, I hope."

Asked what scary things will get fans hiding behind the sofa this time, Chibnall offered this tease: "Episode three. Ed Hime is in the building I think, who's written episode three, which is called "Orphan 55." And there are some monsters in that that are terrifying. [...] They were there on set, and they're practical monsters, and they're pretty terrifying."

That's all stuff to look forward to, then! And we don't have long to wait, either: Doctor Who Season 12 kicks off on New Year's Day on BBC America.

This Star Wars article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian. 

A lone man stands against a failing Empire. By his side is a small infant, seemingly harmless and completely vulnerable without the warrior at its side. If you've been watching Disney+'s epic slowburn space western The Mandalorian, you might think that we're talking about episode two of the show, which centers on the titular hero and his new charge, a young alien who appears to be the same species as Master Yoda. But, in fact, we're describing the setup of Lone Wolf and Cub, one of the longest running and most iconic manga series of all time and a huge influence on the unexpectedly sweet story at the heart of the first live-action Star Wars series.

The astonishing story of Lone Wolf and Cub was created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. First published in the Weekly Manga Action magazine, the series tells the story of a disgraced shogun executioner, Ogami Ittō, who is forced to become a rogue assassin after his wife, Azami, is murdered during a power grab by a local clan. Brutal and brilliant, the grim setup sees Ogami and his surviving son Daigorō charged with treason and ordered to commit ritual suicide. But when the father gives his infant son a choice between a child's toy and a ceremonial weapon, the baby chooses the latter and sparks a quest for redemption and vengeance.

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Lone Wolf and Cub debuted in the 1970s just like Star Wars, though the epic story predates A New Hope by seven years. George Lucas has always been open about the impact that Japanese storytelling had on his work, from the fantastical archetypes of Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress -- which the director lifted wholesale for his first Star Wars film -- to lone wolf samurai stories like Zatoichi, which shaped the tone and story of the space western. It's no surprise then that once again the galaxy far, far away is delving into the fantastic storytelling that inspired the man who created it. In fact, the introduction of Baby Yoda seems to be the most direct nod to Japanese storytelling since Lucas took the Princess, General, and the bumbling comedy duo from Kurosawa's 1958 masterpiece and threw them into the depths of space.

The original run of Lone Wolf and Cub lasted six years and was so massively successful in Japan that, just two years after it debuted, three feature films were released based on the series. Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance introduced Tomisaburo Wakayama as Ogami and was followed by Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx and Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades. All three follow the bleak adventures of the wandering ronin and his child as they face life on the well worn paths of Edo era Japan. With six entries altogether, the Lone Wolf and Cub films are unusual in their commitment to gore, violence, and drama despite featuring a young child as a core protagonist. Just like the manga, the movies are a mix of classic period action with a little heartfelt family drama, as Ogami tries to find a place in the world for him and his son while the pair also dismember and decapitate bad guys with their tricked out baby cart.

Though we've only seen three episodes of The Mandalorian so far, the second chapter takes heavily from the premise and tone of Lone Wolf and Cub. Now that the Mandalorian has secured "the asset," we've learned that he's willing to kill to protect his young charge and that the pair are -- just like Ogami and Daigorō -- on a greater journey that goes beyond the relationship between bounty hunter and bounty. In episode three, it's Mando and not his little ward who makes the choice to go on a different path than the one set for him by the bounty hunters guild, saving Baby Yoda from Werner Herzog's "Client" and going on the run.

Read More: How The Mandalorian Evokes A New Hope

There are other obvious connections, like the Mandalorian and Ogami both being assassins for hire and Daigorō and the young alien both being far less weak and vulnerable than they first seem. If we think outside of the tropes and archetypes that the groundbreaking manga series established, there are some more interesting narrative and tonal similarities that might be able to tell us about the Star Warsseries going forward.

With 28 volumes that span over half a decade of publication and almost 9000 pages, it's hard to highlight everything that makes Lone Wolf and Cubso stunning -- which is why you should read it! -- but there are a couple of key things that seem like they could come into play on the show:

Slow burn would be an understatement when it comes to the atmospheric and often fluid pacing of The Mandalorian. This is something that Lone Wolf and Cub traffics in, especially during one of the most epic battles ever put on the page. An astonishing feat of sequential storytelling, the final duel between Ogami and his nemesis lasts an unbelievable 178 pages. Favreau and company are clearly fans of Koike and Kojima's creation, and although they're unlikely to delve into a full series fight sequence, could we possibly get a Barry-style episode that's nothing more than an extended fight sequence? It would be a unique way to riff on Lone Wolf and Cub, and after the 11-minute silent opening to episode two, we already know The Mandalorian team isn't afraid of choices that might otherwise seem unconventional for Star Wars.

Read More: A Guide to the Mandalorians and Their History

Speaking of unconventional choices, there's always the chance that The Mandalorian could take from Lone Wolf and Cub in the ultimate way by echoing the tragic death of the father figure as a way of ending the cycle of violence. The power of having a masked and nameless character at the center of The Mandalorian is that the show can continue with perhaps a different bounty hunter taking the mantle.

During the climax of Koike and Kojima's epic story, Ogami Itto dies after being sabotaged by an opposing ninja but Daigorō ends up facing down Retsudō, the man who his father called an enemy. The battle ends with Retsudō giving up his life to the young man in an emotional and intimate moment, ending the war between the clans that has haunted the entire life of the young boy. Could The Mandalorian follow a similar route? We know that the hero's young charge is powerful and that our titular character cares enough about him to go against the Guild who got him the job, so could he go so far as to give up his life for the asset?

After all, isn't that the benefit of a streaming service like Disney+? The ability to make risky or strange choices like loosely adapting a 200-page fight sequence or killing off a key character? Whatever the creative decisions are going forward, if you're enjoying the unexpectedly emotional story at the core of The Mandalorian, you should make sure to pick up the manga, watch the movies, or check out the anime adaptation of the classic series that has already had a massive influence on the newest iteration of Star Wars lore.

Rosie Knight is a freelance contributor. Read more of her work here.

This Doctor Who review does NOT contain spoilers. It originally appeared on Den of Geek UK.

Doctor Who Season 12, Episode 1

In mid-December, Den of Geek popped along to an early screening of the Doctor Who Season 12 premiere at a top-secret location in London. We are banned from saying anything spoilery, and nor would we want to, until the episode airs on New Year's Day on BBC One. If you're after some detail-light thoughts on the episode, though, you've come to the right place.

We're not going to get into story specifics, of course, but it seems okay to explain that "Spyfall" follows a similar sort of structure to the previous New Year's episode, "Resolution." It has an opening sequence that cuts between three different vignettes, and then Chris Chibnall's snappy script chucks the Doctor and her fam into a fast-paced global adventure. There are no mentions of New Year's in this episode, though, with the main thrust of the story being a spy spoof of sorts that plays on the conventions of James Bond and Mission: Impossible movies.

It's all a lot of fun, with the episode mainly sticking to a light tone and serving up smatterings of kid-happy silliness. It's especially enjoyable to see just how bad Jodie Whittaker's Doctor is at espionage or even just acting normally. It seems like everyone else is having a good time, too, with Mandip Gill and Tosin Cole getting a refreshingly meaty subplot as Yaz and Ryan, while Bradley Walsh spends most of the episode paired up with the Doc. If we were pushed to pick a couple of standout bits of acting from the episode, we would probably go for a bit of emotional stuff from Gill and a big comedic moment from Whittaker.

You may have already have seen guest stars Stephen Fry and Lenny Henry in the trailer, and it should come as no surprise that both national treasures are on reliable form here. Fry is playing to type a bit more than Henry, but they both seem to be game for a laugh. Everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet here, and the episode rattles along nicely at pace. The packed cinema screen that we were in, with a fair few children in attendance, were laughing at the right bits and everyone clapped at the end. 

read more: Watch the Doctor Who Season 12 Premiere in Theaters

Another thing that has already been revealed in the trailers is the new costumes that make an appearance here: the whole gang looks great in their spy clobber, with everyone getting their own unique little makeover, and it's easy to imagine the beautiful black-tie version of Whittaker's usual outfit becoming a staple of comic-con cosplays.

In terms of scope, there are some properly massive moments in here that make us wonder if the BBC has upped the production budget since last time. And there are also some smaller sections, when the whole gang descends into single locations for some more up-close-and-personal action. It's a nice mix of big set pieces and more intimate ideas, even if neither side of the coin creates anything particularly tense. This is more of a rollicking romp than a 'hide behind the sofa' affair, but there will always be room for both of those things in Doctor Who. (Apparently, episode three is going to be a scary one!)

That's not to say that there aren't any monsters in "Spyfall." There seems to be a brand new threat presenting itself here, and it is represented in quite a unique way, but we'd be surprised if it gave you any nightmares. That being said, there is one location that may send a little shiver up your spine. We expected to see more of it in the next episode.

That's because this is the first time since Chibnall took the reins as showrunner that Doctor Whohas done a two-parter. And boy is this is a proper part one, building to the sort of barmy climax that Russell T. Davies used to love lobbing at David Tennant's Doctor. And if it was Tennant instead of Whittaker taking part in this episode, you can just imagine him shouting "WHAT?!" repeatedly before the credits rolled.

As ever, it's hard to form a full opinion based on only half of the story, but we left the screening feeling like Chibnall has brought lots of big ideas this year and instilled a confidence in the cast and crew that should make it possible to realise them. It's hard to tell, at this halfway point, how much of "Spyfall"'s story will be wrapped up in part two and how much of it will bleed into the rest of series twelve, but either way, we look forward to seeing what happens next. After a year mostly devoid of new Who, it feels good to be back.

Doctor Who Season 12 kicks off on New Year's Day on BBC America.

Read and download the Den of Geek Lost In Space Special Edition Magazine right here!

This review contains no spoilers.

It feels crass to say it, but toxic masculinity, abuse of power, and sexual violence are “in” and everybody wants a piece. But after a few years of nearly every television show shoehorning their own #MeToo-style plotline, only a handful of properties actual handle it well and have up with something worthwhile to say on the topic remains elusive.

Enter You, a10-episode scripted drama narrated by Penn Badgley’s Joe. Joe is a New York bookseller who will go to any length to get the girl he wants, all while convincing himself that his dangerous and disturbing acts are for her sake. You is horror filtered through romantic comedy, with Joe literally quoting When Harry Met Sally (apparently the only way he’d consume a woman’s words) in his ever-present voiceover. He thinks he’s the leading man, the Nice Guy™ there to rescue a woman from the vain banality of millennial heartache and her own bad choices. But to the viewer it becomes ever more clear that, Dan Humphrey-wholesome good looks aside, Joe is the real danger.

You is back on a new network (rescued by Netflix) for season 2, in a new city, with a new love interest (saccharinely named Love), and a new moppet to protect. Although this time, instead of a malleable young Joe analogue, it’s Ellie, a 15 year old girl capable of going toe to toe with Joe and maybe even figuring out what he’s up to or at least taking him down a peg. Yes, there’s another Joe skeptic, but instead of a friend of the object of his affections (word choice intentional), it’s the property manager at his apartment complex.

To update the show rather than simply having this being You the Sequel: Now With a Different Stalkee, Joe is in LA, hiding from Candace, the ex-girlfriend he (and we) thought he killed prior to the events of the first season. In last season’s finale, she showed up in the flesh after a number of hallucinations. Throughout the season, You season 2goes into more detail about how their relationship ended, what Candace is after, and Joe’s troubled childhood. Guinevere Beck now occupies the role of spectral ex-girlfriend, haunting Joe – who goes by Will – as he tries to be a better man with a woman who is, of course, called Love.

If you’re completely new to the show, it’s worth it to binge season one for Shay Mitchell’s Peach Salinger alone. If you insist on depriving yourself of that joy, there’s enough background info in the flashbacks and “previously on” to give you an idea, but again: you’re only robbing yourself. Sera Gamble, of the insightful, pop culture riddled The Magicians, and Greg Berlanti, of the emotional coming of age stories in Dawson’s Creek and Everwood to Love, Simon and, to an extent, the Arrowverse, are a perfect pair to remix tropes that are meant to get our dopamine flying, like a 360-degree slo-mo kiss, with a truly unsettling use of a meat grinder.

After a successful (but somewhat divisive) first season on Lifetime that picked up popularity once it was bingeable on Netflix, You is back for season 2 and admirably up to the challenge of keeping its format fresh without straining all believability that a guy who killed at least three people is still out there doing his book-store-clerk-from-a-Wes-Anderson-movie thing. Precariously, Joe attempts friendship this time around. He’s trying not to repeat the mistakes of his past, and in one of its most inspired subplots, Joe confronts another male predator – though of course, to Joe’s mind, the word “another” has no place in that sentence.

read more - You: Subverting the Nice Guy Trope

The show continues to provide biting commentary on things like designer grocery stores, which makes the show fun and keeps Joe and his alias Will just on the side of “is this guy psycho or does he have a point?” That said, the show’s best zeitgeist-y commentary is the fact that this misogynist murderer is the one blathering on in voiceover about the same surface-level critique of the way women use social media that we’re all sick of hearing everywhere from the nightly news to our boomer relatives over the holidays.

This season acknowledges that it can no longer play the “maybe he’s a psychopath, maybe he’s just a romantic” card the way it did last year. Instead, You toys with us, like when it offers a vision of Love calling Will out and jerking him off at their work, making it seem like she might be nuts too, before revealing the truth that it’s all in his head.

Once again, You relies heavily on Badgley’s leading man looks and his ability to turn on earnest, good guy charm in the blink of an eye. Joe buys what he’s selling, which makes him even more dangerous than someone who sets out to do evil. He projects entire narratives onto these women and twists any situation to justify his actions, always believing he is justified. Badgley plays Joe as the straight man in a messed up world, and his grounded performance keeps the sometimes freewheeling plot from going off the rails. He finds small ways to wordlessly broadcast everything Joe’s unwilling to reveal, even to himself.

We’re more in on Joe’s creepiness from the get-go this time around, even if it’s at a slant, with end-of-episode switchbacks that make it impossible to pretend he’s simply a good guy who happens to fall into circumstances that require murder or that draw out the stalker in him, as Joe would like to do. The introduction of a new male character who acts as a surprisingly effective therapist (Robin Lord Taylor) for Joe opens him up a bit, allowing more psychoanalysis to take place outside of his voiceover. That character also complicates Joe’s vision of himself as a good person, in new and surprising ways throughout the season.

The show’s piquant sense of humor feels both more prominent and precise, rather than just giving us the one speed of Joe’s wry hot takes in voiceover. A moment when a character uses what first appears to be blood to write a message on the wall, only to turn out to be ketchup to pass the time playing hangman, feels like a show where the writers are more comfortable playing with the tropes of the horror/thriller genre, not just the romcom side of things.

Much like the titular Fleabag in Fleabag, Joe performs for the audience, dropping one-liners like “this room is a self-fellating ouroboros of desperation” (his description of improv) to impress. But unlike Fleabag, You never acknowledges that anyone else is watching, meaning that Joe’s performance isn’t for us, but for himself, and the version of each new “you” he constructs in his head.

Packed full of references of everything from Ali Wong and Yorgos Lanthimos to Francisca Lia Block and The Power (a book he’s deluding himself about, if he’s read it at all), You is sharper in its storytelling and as an instrument of societal critique in its second season. Those who struggled with whether season 1 was knowing enough about its protagonist’s flaws will be pleased to see the thesis clarified and distilled, and the resulting show funnier, frothier, and more suspenseful because of it.

These days it feels like there’s little new left to say about gender and violence, but through the voice of a self-proclaimed privilege white man, You season 2 brings us something decidedly worthwhile.

Read and download the Den of Geek Lost In Space Special Edition Magazine right here!

This Star Wars article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian.

One of The Mandalorian's central mysteries has been solved in the season finale. Episode 8 finally revealed the name of Mando himself, whose identity and face have been well-guarded secrets (on the show at least) up to this point. The fact that we only see his face in the final episode of the season is not surprising considering Mando's creed prevents him from ever taking off his helmet in front of another living being. IG-11 finally convinces Mando to do so in order to save his life (since droids aren't actually alive.) But as far as his name goes, Mando never actually speaks it.

It's the villainous Moff Gideon who finally reveals Mando's true identity while trying to intimidate the bounty hunter and his friends to surrender during a tense standoff on Nevarro. Through Gideon we learn that Mando's name is actually Din Djarin.

Stream Star Wars shows with a FREE TRIAL of Disney+, right here!

The reveal will come as a big surprise to fans who have been following this Man with No Name for the past eight weeks, especially if they haven't been paying attention to any interviews with star Pedro Pascal along the way. For the rest of us, we've known Mando's name was Din since the show premiered in early November.

Pascal first revealed his character's name in an interview with ScreenSlam: “The Mandalorian, whose name is Din Djarin, is your iconically cool, flawed, mysterious, loner gunslinger that harkens to the best of the samurai movies and westerns."

Weeks later, it's still surprising that the actor revealed Mando's name so nonchalantly, considering that the show was going to great lengths to keep its protagonist nameless. Throughout the season, Din is referred to only as "the Mandalorian" or "Mando" by his allies, and the show only teased bits of his backstory along the way. We know from the season finale that he was orphaned at a young age after he lost his parents in a Separatist attack during the Clone Wars. At some point, he was taken in by a Mandalorian clan as a "foundling" raised to become a member of the warrior tribe.

Now that the show has confirmed Mando's name (and its correct, Star Wars-y spelling) as well as his origin story, it remains to be seen what else the series will reveal about its protagonist. We'll just have to wait and see in The Mandalorian season 2. 

John Saavedra is an associate editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9.

Doctor Who Season 12, the second starring the brilliant Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, will be back soon!

We haven't gotten any new Who since the New Year's Eve special at the beginning of the year, with very little promotion or news, either. But we can expect that to change as Doctor Who Season 12 races closer.

In the meantime, you can read our spoiler-free thoughts on the Season 12 premiere here.

Here's everything we know about the upcoming season so far...

Doctor Who Season 12 Trailer

Watch the first clip for the premiere episode, "Spyfall," here:

A new Doctor Who season 12 trailer has arrived and it's full of monsters:

And here's the first trailer:

Doctor Who Season 12 Release Date

Doctor Who season 12 premieres on Jan. 1 at 8 pm on BBC America. The remaining episodes will air on Sundays at 8 pm starting on Jan. 5. Fathom Events will be screening the first two episodes of the season in theaters on January 5th. You can find out more about that here.

read more: Doctor Who Season 12 Premiere To Be "Biggest" Yet

Doctor Who Season 12 Cast

The fam will be back for Season 12. As showrunner Chris Chibnall expresses of Jodie Whittaker's return in a statement:

We’re off again! Well we never actually stopped. As Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor and friends have been winning the hearts of families across the nation this autumn, we’ve been busy with a whole new set of action packed adventures for the 13th Doctor.

There's emphasis on the "and friends" part of Chibnall's statement, since it has been confirmed that the companion lineup of Tosin Cole (Ryan), Mandip Gill (Yaz) and Bradley Walsh (Graham) will be back upon the show's 2020 return. As Chibnall further states:

We adore making this show and have been blown away by the response from audiences, so we can’t wait to bring more scares, more monsters and more Bradley Walsh, Mandip Gill and Tosin Cole to BBC One. Brilliant!

read more: Doctor Who Season 12 — What to Expect

Stephen Fry and Lenny Henry (Broadchurch, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) will be appearing in the Doctor Who Season 12 premiere.

Per the official press release from BBC America, Fry said of the experience: “Short of being picked for a British space exploration program, and I readily concede that I’m past the age where I’d be considered (if I was ever the right age for such a posting), then being in an episode of Doctor Who will certainly do as a very sweet second-place excitement.”

read more: Rachel Talalay & The Long Way 'Round

Henry added: “It was absolutely brilliant to be welcomed into the fantastical world of Doctor Who. The nearest I have been to the TARDIS was when I played the Caribbean Doctor in the Lenny Henry Show, so as a life-long (hiding behind the sofa type) Doctor Who fan, this is a very special moment for me.”

Also guest starring this season are Goran Višnjić (ER) and Robert Glenister (Paranoid). The latter actor has actually appeared on Doctor Who before in the 1984 story "The Caves of Androzani," so his return will feel like a bit of a blast in the past.

read more: Doctor Who Season 12: How the TARDIS Has Changed

Doctor Who Season 12 Episodes

Doctor Who Season 12 will consist of 10 episodes, with an additional special. The season will begin and end with two-parters.

Doctor Who Season 12 Episode 1: Spyfall, Part 1

Original airdate: 1/1/20

Written by: Chris Chibnall

Directed by: Jamie Magnus Stone

Doctor Who Season 12 Episode 2: Spyfall, Part 2

Original airdate: 1/5/20

Written by: Chris Chibnall

Directed by: Lee Haven Jones

Doctor Who Season 12 Episode 3: Orphan 55

Original airdate: 1/12/20

Written by: Ed Hime

Directed by: Lee Haven Jones

Doctor Who Season 12 Episode 4:

Original airdate:

Written by: TBA

Directed by: Nida Manzoor

Doctor Who Season 12 Episode 5:

Original airdate: TBA

Written by: TBA

Directed by: Jamie Magnus Stone

Doctor Who Season 12 Episode 6:

Original airdate: TBA

Written by: TBA

Directed by: Nida Manzoor

Doctor Who Season 12 Episode 7:

Original airdate: TBA

Written by: TBA

Directed by: Emma Sullivan

Doctor Who Season 12 Episode 8:

Original airdate: TBA

Written by: TBA

Directed by: Emma Sullivan

Doctor Who Season 12 Episode 9:

Original airdate: TBA

Written by: Chris Chibnall

Directed by: Jamie Magnus Stone

Doctor Who Season 12 Episode 10:

Original airdate: TBA

Written by: Chris Chibnall

Directed by: Jamie Magnus Stone

Doctor Who Season 12 Special Episode

Original airdate: TBA

Written by: TBA

Directed by: Lee Haven Jones

Doctor Who Season 12 Villain

We know at least one of the villains popping up in Doctor Who Season 12: the Cybermen, which will appear for the first time since Chibnall took over as showrunner. We can't wait to see what he comes up with for the iconic villains.

Also making their return are the Judoon, first seen on Who facing off against David Tennant's 10th Doctor in 2007's "Smith and Jones."

“No! Sho! Blo!” Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall said in a statement, back in May. “The Judoon are storming back into Doctor Who in full force, and the streets of Gloucester aren’t safe. If anyone has anything to hide, confess now. The Judoon are taking no prisoners, and will stop at nothing to fulfil their mission! The whole team on Doctor Who are delighted and scared in equal measure to welcome them back: one of many treats we’ve got in store for viewers next series. And we’re over the moon (with Judoon), to be welcoming the wondrous Neil Stuke as guest star. We can’t wait to show you what happens when his path crosses with the Thirteenth Doctor.”

read more: Doctor Who Cast & Creator Reflect on "Rosa"

Doctor Who Season 12 Writers & Directors

Doctor Who Season 12 will see three new writers come aboard: Nina Metivier, Maxine Alderton, and Charlene James. They will join returning Season 11 writers Vinay Patel ("Demons of the Punjab"), Ed Hime ("It Takes You Away"), and Pete McTighe ("Kerblam!"). 

Nida Manzoor, Emma Sullivan, Jamie Magnus Stone, and Lee Haven Jones, all new to Doctor Who, will be stepping behind the camera to direct episodes. 

Joseph Baxter is a contributor for Den of Geek and Syfy Wire. You can find his work here. Follow him on Twitter @josbaxter.

This Harley Quinn review contains spoilers.

Harley Quinn Episode 5

There's something special about episode five of Harley Quinn. The adult animation from DC Universe is as irreverent as ever, filled with curse words, deep cut comic characters, meta sight gags, and stellar voice work. But it also tries to delve into a bigger question: who exactly is the woman known as Harley Quinn and who is she without the Joker?

Taking a solid recurring trope from its streamer-sibling Doom Patrol, this episode takes place predominantly in Harley's brain as her friends dig around her subconscious--which even looks like the white room set from Doom Patrol--attempting to fix our protagonist after she has a severe physical and mental breakdown whilst trying to find the perfect lair for the motley crew. Pushing the title character further on her narrative journey of self-determination is a smart move and this episode achieves that as well as being funny, smart, heartfelt, and easily one of the best episodes of the series so far.

read more: Birds of Prey Movie — Everything We Know

We really get to know who Harley (Kaley Cuoco) isn’t in a super smart bit of character building as the episode opens with her, Ivy (Lake Bell), and a real estate agent touring multiple villain lairs. Watching the titular anti-hero turn down the ostentatious and outrageous options gives us a little more insight into just who she might be under the pale makeup and skin tight costume. It's also a great comedy bit that leans into the Venture Bros. of it all and will make anyone who grew up reading comics or watching Saturday morning serials smile.

The hunt for a new lair is tied into the greater arc of this episode; namely, Harley trying to find herself outside of the Joker. When she can't find the right lair, she literally freezes up, leading her ragtag group of friends right into her subconscious. Whilst Ivy, Dr. Psycho (Tony Hale), Clayface (Alan Tudyk), and King Shark (Ron Funches) rifle through Harley's early life and teen crushes, their old landlord Sy Borgman (Jason Alexander) discovers the crew seemingly dead wearing Suicide Squad shirts, leading him to (not completely unfairly) assume that they've all killed themselves. It's a pretty dark subplot that sees Sy and his friend attempt to burn the "bodies" in the incinerator of a local mall.

While the nefarious cyborg tries to get rid of the evidence, the crew are finally becoming a team as they explore the depths of Harley's life and trauma. There are plenty of funny moments as we see Harley as a young child--spoiler alert, she was a "little sh*t"--and get to meet her childhood crush, Frankie Muniz, who when you put together this cameo and his Lizzo-chasing antics seems to be endearingly open to ridiculing himself at the moment. As they adventure throughout Harley's mind it feels like the characters finally begin to gel as a group which offers up some interesting potential for future episodes as previously Bell's hilarious Ivy has often been sidelined for the sake of Harley building her team and her goal to become a famed criminal.

As with most of the best moments of Harley Quinn so far, the big reveal of just what has Harley frozen is actually pretty powerful. The moment works especially well for fans of the comic as she realizes that rather than Joker throwing her into the acid the reality of her origin story is that Harley made that choice herself. But until she takes responsibility for that action she's stuck seeing herself as a victim--which she still arguably is--in taking control of her narrative and past.

read more: New DC Universe Timeline Revealed

Triumphantly, the former Arkham Asylum doctor manages to not only acknowledge what really happened but to also free herself from the origin she created with the Joker, crafting a new and more motivational one with her friends. That's lucky timing as she's just in time for them to all escape from Sy's incinerator. Thankfully for all involved--Sy included--it turns out that the ramshackle mall immediately feels like home to Harley. And after their erstwhile landlord almost burned them alive, Harley manages to convince (read that as blackmail) him to let rent it for $1 a month. It's a happy ending for all and means that our anti-heroine finally has her own place to call home.

"Being Harley Quinn" is an example of how great Harley Quinn can be when the creative team balances their need for crassness and cruelty with some interesting character exploration without compromising on either. If the show can keep delivering episodes that are as strong and entertaining as "Being Harley Quinn" then it seems like it's destined to end up on HBO Max where it would undoubtedly find a far larger audience than it ever will on DC Universe.

Keep up with Harley Quinn news and reviews here.

Read and download the Den of Geek Lost In Space Special Edition Magazine right here!

This Star Wars: The Mandalorian article contains spoilers.

The Mandalorian is here. With the first live-action Star Wars TV series come new nooks and crannies of the beloved universe to explore. In the first episode, the eponymous Mandalorian is hired to go after a 50-year old target whose identity is otherwise obscured. This bounty takes him to a remote fortress, where the identity of the mark opens up even more questions about the show and the galaxy as a whole.

After a shootout with armed thugs and a quirky assassin droid, the Mandalorian finally reaches his target, and it's definitely not who he expected. Inside a high-tech bassinet is a baby that looks just like Yoda, 50 years old but still in the very early stages of its 900-year lifespan. What does this new character mean for the show going forward and for the Mandalorian? Let's discuss...

Stream Star Wars shows with a FREE TRIAL of Disney+, right here!

What is Yoda’s species?

We don’t exactly know. Not only is their home planet unknown, but so is the species' real name (if it even has one), which is why it's simply refered to as "Yoda's species."

When George Lucas originally created the character, Yoda was intended as a mysterious creature, an open-ended question in a wide universe. “He's a mystery character,” Lucas said in an interview with Moviefone. “He's a magical character. He has no background. He comes and he goes. He's the subversive secret mysterious stranger that enters the film and then exits at the end."

Puppeteering and voice acting by Frank Oz catapulted the character into fame. In some original concept art, Yoda is more elf-like than alien, with longer legs and a pointed hat that wouldn’t be out of place on a classic gnome. The pointed ears are the surviving trait that display the character's fantasy influence. 

There is one other member of this species in Star Wars canon: Yaddle, a Jedi Master who sat on the Jedi Council in the Prequel era. She was known for both exuding patience and kindness, and having exceptionally deadly Force powers that could trap a person in stasis. 

Read More: The Mandalorian Episode 1 Easter Eggs Explained

The species is so rare and mysterious that no one knows what exactly is so mysterious about them. Is it happenstance that their species produced the greatest Jedi Master in the modern era? Perhaps there is something inherently powerful in the Force about them. Perhaps they’re no more or less likely to be great Jedi than humans are.  

Episode 2, “The Child,” might offer an answer. Early in the episode, the baby reaches out a hand as if trying to use the Force to heal the wounded Mando, who puts him back in the bassinet before anything can happen (we later learn in episode 7 that Baby Yoda can indeed heal severe wounds). The fact that Baby Yoda is Force-sensitive is confirmed later in episode 2 when the baby lifts the charging Mud Horn monster with the Force. It clearly takes a lot out of the child, a Herculean effort of a task that would be challenging even for an adult Jedi. Remember how Luke struggled to lift his X-Wing out of the swamp? This baby can use the Force before it can even talk. Clearly it has a lot of power, and it makes sense based on what we know about this species that the power could be inherent in its biology.

What does Baby Yoda mean for the show?

Part of the reason the episode 1 reveal is so remarkable is that Lucas has long advocated for keeping Yoda’s species secret. When everything in Star Warsis explained, the universe feels big, but it can also feel rote. The Yoda species remains an element that cannot be canonized, cannot be commodified. It gestures at Star Wars’ fantasy influences while not going so far as to outright explain the motivation behind the gesture.

Read More: The Best Baby Yoda Merchandise and Gifts in the Galaxy!

Adding a member of Yoda’s species to the show is bound to make fans wonder if the Jedi are somehow connected to the child. So far, The Mandalorian exists in the underworld of Star Wars. Characters scrape by on the strength of their wallets and their fists. Jedi don’t often venture into this world unless it’s to stop a crime lord who has severely rattled someone in the upper echelons. Could this Force-sensitive child give The Mandalorian a way to connect its otherwise Force-secular story to the mystical side of the galaxy?

Read More: Star Wars TV Series Disney+ Streaming Guide

The age of the child, 50, is notable. The Mandalorian takes place shortly five years after Return of the Jedi. That means the alien was born before even the start of the Clone Wars, when the Republic was just beginning its slide toward galaxy-wide coflict. The child could be related to Yoda, but Jedi of old aren’t supposed to have children. So was the child a war refugee? A desperate attempt at continuity for a species that only has one or two members at a time? Or just one of many children gone missing in a dangerous world? 

Whatever the case, the origin of Baby Yoda remains one of the show's central mysteries.

So where did Baby Yoda come from?

Maybe “Baby Yoda” is just what his name implies. As Slashfilm points out via sharp-eyed Twitter users, Doctor Pershing (Omid Abtahi) might offer a clue. The man employed by Werner Herzog’s character in episode 1 has a symbol on his sleeve that might match the one worn by Kaminoan cloners, which implies that this doctor has some pretty specific plans for Yoda's species. We later see him running tests on Baby Yoda in episode 3, although those experiments are cut short when Mando rescues the child.

In episode 7, the Ugnaught farmer Kuill refers to Baby Yoda as a potential "Strand-Cast," a term we've not heard in Star Wars before. Kuill seems to referring to a product of genetic engineering. If that's indeed the case, this could be the best clue yet that the Child was born in a lab and not in a natural way. 

Cloning has been a part of Star Wars since the very beginning, with the Clone Wars being mentioned as early as A New Hope, but not detailed until Attack of the Clones. This bit of weird sciene is going through a renaissance of sorts, thanks to fan theories about Rey’s orphan childhood as well as the return of Emperor Palpatine. If Rey is a clone, that establishes that Force sensitivity can be transferred to genetically identical people. What if this is a clone of Yoda? Perhaps one developed during the same experiments that resulted in Rey? Or, it's possible that Pershing needs this Baby Yoda to begin cloning the species. Either way, this baby has the potential to seriously change the fabric of Star Wars going forward.

Read More: Star Wars Movies Disney+ Streaming Guide

Other possibilities are more banal: 

When it comes to the unknown in Star Wars, there is one direction fans can reliably look. The Unknown Regions, called as such because hyperspace navigation is so difficult in this anomalous region of space, exist at the edge of the galaxy. Some people have found ways to explore it, namely Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Chiss species and some members of the Empire.

Maybe Yoda’s species is from this region? Since the Mandalorian’s adventures mostly keep him in the relatively lawless Outer Rim of the galaxy, he’s geographically placed in the right spot to venture into this dangerous sector of space.

What does Baby Yoda mean for the Mandalorian himself?

Regardless of who he is and where he comes from, Baby Yoda has provided a major pivot point for Mando, who decides to break the Bounty Hunters' Guild's code to save the child from the Client in episode 3, taking the reward and the bounty itself with him to parts unknown. This not only makes Mando one of the most wanted men in the galaxy but also a confirmed anti-hero who chooses to do right when faced with a life-changing decision. 

Throughout the season, Mando has been most concerned with what's right for the child and finding a place where he might be safe from the other bounty hunters still looking to cash in. Mando hasn't found that hideout yet, having been foiled at every turn by competitors, but he has found a heart where the show initially suggested there might not be one. We expect the Mandalorian's fatherly role to only grow as long as he's protecting his young ward.

Megan Crouse writes about Star Wars and pop culture for StarWars.com, Star Wars Insider, and Den of Geek. Read more of her work here. Find her on Twitter @blogfullofwords.

The streaming space is a crowded one. Between Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Apple TV+ and the 2020 launches of NBCUniversal’s Peacock and WarnerMedia’s HBO Max, the competition for your money and attention is fierce.

Disney is ready to make the splashiest entrance into the streaming space when Disney+ debuts on November 12th. The service’s library will feature Disney live-action and animated classics, and content from Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and National Geographic.

Disney+ is more than just the greatest hits from the House of Mouse. The service is set to roll out original feature films, TV shows, and documentaries. Including at launch will be the highly-anticipated Star Wars live-action series The Mandalorian.

Grab a FREE TRIAL of Disney+, on us, right here!

Below we have details on the new content that will be available to stream this November. We’ll continue to update this article each month when Disney+ announces its new programming slate.

New on Disney+ in January 2020

January 1

America’s National Parks (Season 1)

Austin & Ally (Season 1-4)

Billy Dilley’s Super-Duper Subterranean Summer (Season 1)

Bugged (Short)

Continent 7: Antarctica (Season 1)

Cool Runnings

Dog: Impossible (Season 1)

Dr. K’s Exotic Animal ER (Season 8)

Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet (Season 7)

Dr. T, Lone Star Vet (Season 1)

Drain Alcatraz

Drain The Bermuda Triangle

Drain The Great Lakes

Drain The Ocean: WWII

Drain The Oceans (Season 2)

Drain The Sunken Pirate City

Drain The Titanic

El Materdor (Short)

First Class Chefs: Family Style (Season 1)

Hacksaw

Holes

Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors – Battle Of The Bands

Marvel Super Hero Adventures (Shorts) (Season 2-3)

Marvel: 75 Years, From Pop To Pulp!

Moon Mater (Short)

Muppet Babies Show And Tell (Shorts) (Season 2-3)

One Strange Rock (Season 1)

Out There With Jack Randall (Season 1)

Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja (Season 1-2)

Red Tails

Rescue Squad Mater (Short)

Soy Luna (Season 1)

Spinning (Short)

Super Rhino (Short)

The Golden Touch (Short)

The Lodge (Season 1-2)

The Proud Family (Season 1-2)

The Super Hero Squad Show (Season 1-2)

Time Travel Mater (Short)

Tokyo Mater (Short)

Unidentified Flying Mater (Short)

Vaprinia Ghouls Girls Rock! (Shorts) (Season 1)

Wild Russia (Season 1)

Year Million (Season 1)

January 2

Life Below Zero (Season 13)

Encore! – “Pippin”

Marvel’s Hero Project – “Radiant Jayera”

The World According to Jeff Goldblum – “Coffee”

One Day At Disney – “Bob Iger: CEO”

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series – Episode 109 – “Opening Night”

Pick of the Litter – “Training Begins”

Forky Asks A Question – “What is Cheese?”

January 8

Aladdin

January 10

Destino (Short)

Marvel’s Runaways (Season 3)

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series – Episode 10 – “Act Two”

Marvel’s Hero Project – “Spectacular Sidney”

The World According to Jeff Goldblum – “Cosmetics”

One Day At Disney – “Modern Family: Cast & Crew”

Pick of the Litter – “Next Level Training”

Forky Asks A Question – “What is Reading?”

SparkShorts – “Loop”

Encore! – Episode 110 – “High School Musical”

Full Disney+ Lineup at Launch By Category

MARVEL

Spider-Woman 

Spider-Man (1980s animated series)

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

X-Men: The Animated Series

Iron Man (1990s animated series)

Fantastic Four (1990s animated series)

Spider-Man (1990s animated series)

The Incredible Hulk (1990s animated series)

Silver Surfer (1990s animated series)

Spider-Man Unlimited 

The Avengers: United They Stand

X-Men: Evolution (Series)

Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes

Iron Man

Iron Man: Armored Adventures

Wolverine and the X-Men

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (animated series)

Ultimate Spider-Man

Iron Man 3

Avengers Assemble

Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. 

Thor: The Dark World

Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe

Guardians of the Galaxy

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Ant-Man

Guardians of the Galaxy (animated series)

Spider-Man (current animated series)

Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors

Inhumans

Captain Marvel

STAR WARS

Star Wars: A New Hope

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

Star Wars: Attack of the Clones

Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Series

Star Wars Rebels

Lego Star Wars: The New Yoda Chronicles

Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Star Wars Resistance

Lego Star Wars: All-Stars

The Mandalorian

ANIMATED

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Pinocchio 

Fantasia 

Dumbo

Bambi 

Cinderella

Alice in Wonderland

Peter Pan

Lady and the Tramp

Sleeping Beauty

101 Dalmatians

The Sword in the Stone

The Jungle Book

The Aristocats

Robin Hood

The Fox and the Hound

The Great Mouse Detective

Oliver and Company

The Little Mermaid

The Rescuers Down Under

Beauty and the Beast

Goof Troop

Aladdin

The Nightmare Before Christmas

The Return of Jafar

The Lion King

A Goofy Movie

Pocahontas

James and the Giant Peach

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Aladdin and the King of Thieves

The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue

Hercules

Mulan

Fantasia 2000

The Emperor's New Groove

Lilo & Stitch

Bolt

The Princess and the Frog

Tangled

Brave

Wreck-It Ralph

Frozen

Big Hero 6

Zootopia

Moana

PIXAR

Toy Story

A Bug's Life

Toy Story 2

Monsters, Inc.

Finding Nemo

The Incredibles

Cars

Ratatouille

WALL-E

Toy Story 3

Cars 2

Monsters University

Inside Out

The Good Dinosaur

Finding Dory

Cars 3

We've got a FREE TRIAL for Disney+ and more options here.

Disney Channel Shows

Andi Mack

Cadet Kelly

Camp Rock

The Cheetah Girls

Descendants

Ducktales (2017)

Even Stevens

Good Luck Charlie

Gravity Falls

Halloweentown

Handy Manny

Hannah Montana

High School Musical

High School Musical 2

Jake and the Neverland Pirates

Jesse

Jonas L.A.

Kim Possible

Little Einsteins

Lizzy McGuire

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Phineas and Ferb

Princess Protection Program

The Proud Family

The Suite Life of Zack and Cody

Tangled: The Series

Teen Beach Movie

That's So Raven

Wizards of Waverly Place

Zombies

Disney Channel Movies

You Lucky Dog

Brink!

Halloweentown

Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century

Can of Worms

The Thirteenth Year

Smart House

Johnny Tsunami

Genius

Don’t Look Under the Bed

Horse Sense

Up, Up and Away

The Color of Friendship

Alley Cats Strike!

Rip Girls

Miracle in Lane 2

Stepsister From Planet Weird

Ready to Run

Quints

The Other Me

Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire

Phantom of the Megaplex

The Ultimate Christmas Present

Zenon: The Zequel

Motocrossed

The Luck of the Irish

Hounded

The Jennie Project

Jumping Ship

The Poof Point

Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge

‘Twas the Night

Double Teamed

Cadet Kelly

Tru Confessions

Get a Clue

Gotta Kick It Up!

A Ring of Endless Light

The Scream Team

You Wish!

Right on Track

The Even Stevens Movie

Eddie’s Million Dollar Cook-Off

The Cheetah Girls

Full-Court Miracle

Pixel Perfect

Going to the Mat

Zenon: Z3

Stuck in the Suburbs

Tiger Cruise

Halloweentown High

Now You See It...

Buffalo’s Dreams

Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama

Go Figure

Life is Ruff

The Proud Family Movie

Twitches

High School Musical

Cow Belles

Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior

Read It and Weep

The Cheetah Girls 2

Return to Halloweentown

Jump In!

Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board

High School Musical 2

Twitches Too

Minutemen

Camp Rock

The Cheetah Girls: One World

Dadnapped

Hatching Pete

Princess Protection Program

Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie

Starstruck

Den Brother

Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam

Avalon High

The Suite Life Movie

Lemonade Mouth

Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure

Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension

Geek Charming

Good Luck Charlie, It’s Christmas!

Frenemies

Let It Shine

Girl vs. Monster

Teen Beach Movie

Cloud 9

Zapped

How to Build a Better Boy

Bad Hair Day

Teen Beach Movie 2

Descendants

Invisible Sister

Adventures in Babysitting

The Swap

Tangled: Before Ever After

Descendants 2

Zombies

Freaky Friday

Kim Possible

National Geographic

Amazing Planet 

Brain Games 

Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan 

Dr. K’s Exotic Animals 

Dr. Oakley Yukon Vet 

Drain the Ocean 

Earth Live 

Great Migration 

Howie Mandel’s Animals Doing Things 

One Strange Rock 

Rocky Mountain Animal Rescue 

The Incredible Dr. Pol 

Unlikely Animal Friends 

Wicked Tuna

Misc.

The Simpsons

This Star Wars article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian episode 8, titled "Redemption," is an action-packed ending to the first season of the live-action Star Wars series. A standoff between Mando, his friends, and Moff Gideon and his Imperial forces reveals more about the Mandalorian's past as well as the extent of Baby Yoda's powers. But the episode also might leaves fans with a few questions about this particular corner of the galaxy far, far away. 

Luckily, we have some answers, thanks to the larger Star Wars lore:

Who is Din Djarin?

Episode 8 finally confirms Mando's name, and it's not Boba Fett. All along we've been following a Mandalorian by the name of Din Djarin. Before you ask, no, he doesn't have a prior history beyond what we've learned about him on the show thus far. So what do we know about Din after the season finale?

We know that his parents were killed in a Separatist attack during the Clone War, leaving Din an orphan at a very young age, which explains his extreme hatred for droids. In a flashback, it's revealed that, if it hadn't been for the last minute arrival of a squad of Mandalorian warriors, Din would have met the same fate as his parents. A Mandalorian comes to the boy's rescue right as a super battle droid is about to eliminate him.

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Mando explains to Cara and Greef during their standoff with Moff Gideon that he was taken in by the Mandalorian tribe and raised as a "foundling." He was then trained to become a Mandalorian warrior himself. Mando alludes to the fact that he witness the Great Purge on Mandalore, where the Empire exterminated much of the Mandalorian race and sent the survivors into hiding. 

In the finale, we see Din complete a major milestone of his life as a Mandalorian, receiving his very own signet, a symbol of his Mandalorian clan, which he now shares with the Child.

Where is Baby Yoda from?

As cute and cuddly as the Child is, there's not much we really know about him, except that he's the most sought after "asset" in the Outer Rim and that he's powerful in the Force. How powerful? He can levitate a mudhorn about 100 times his size as well as stop a ball of flame in its track. Like Yoda and Yaddle before him, it seems that Baby Yoda is destined to become a great Jedi Knight. 

Too bad no one in this corner of the galaxy really knows what a Jedi even is. The Armorer gets closest to the correct explanation, calling Jedi "sorcerers" who were once enemies of the Mandalorians. She suggests that Mando's new calling is to help this "foundling" find his home.

Read More: The Mandalorian Episode 8 Easter Eggs Explained

So where's Baby Yoda from? We don't know. Even in the days of Yoda and the Old Republic, the home planet of Yoda's species (which doesn't have a proper name, either) remained a mystery. And it's not even clear whether this baby was naturally born or if he was engineered in a lab like the "strand-casts" Kuill mentioned in episode 7. It's possible that Baby Yoda was genetically engineered by Dr. Pershing or perhaps cloned from Yoda's DNA. 

Whatever the case, we talked way more about Baby Yoda's possible origin here. 

Who is the Armorer?

Baby Yoda isn't the only character shrouded in mystery. Throughout the first season, the Armorer has remained one of The Mandalorian's most enigmatic characters. Clad in golden armor, furs, and a Viking-inspired helmet, we know little about the Armorer except that she has earned the respect of her tribe, possibly as its de facto leader, although she's not a Mand'alor (the ultimate leader of the Mandalorian people).

During a confrontation between Mando and Paz Vizla in episode 3, we see her break up the fight with her commanding presence. And in episode 8, she is the only Mandalorian left standing on Nevarro after the Empire kills the rest of the tribe. We find out why the Armorer survived when she's surrounded by a squad stormtroopers and makes quick work of them with her hammer. 

Some have speculated that she might be former Mand'alor Bo-Katan Kryze herself, although that seems unlikely considering the character is played by Emily Swallow and not Katee Sackhoff, who voiced Bo-Katan on The Clone Wars and Rebels. Another theory is that this is Sabine Wren, the young Mandalorian rebel from the latter animated series who at one point wielded the Darksaber. Whoever the Armorer is, she seems to be someone of significance, sharing wisdom, guiding her people, and unlocking the next phase of Mando's journey. 

How did Moff Gideon acquire the Darksaber?

Moff Gideon has arrived as the show's big bad, a ruthless Imperial warlord who will stop at nothing to acquire "the asset" for undoubtedly evil reasons. We learn in episode 8 that Gideon was once a member of the Imperial Security Bureau, the elite intelligence agency charged with making sure citizens of the Empire remained loyal. As such, Gideon took part in the Great Purge -- dubbed the "Night of a Thousand Tears" -- the Imperial invasion that killed off most of the Rebel-sympathizing Mandalorian people on Mandalore and sent the survivor's of the race into hiding. Mando even knows Gideon by name because of his reputation during this Purge.

The Mandalorian's cliffhanger ending also reveals one more detail about Gideon's history with the Mandalorians: he now wields the Darksaber, the ceremonial weapon carried by the leader of Mandalore. The last to wield it, as far as we know, was Bo-Katan. The Darksaber, which is a unique black-bladed version of a lightsaber created by a legendary Mandalorian Jedi named Tarre Viszla, switched hands several times before it finally came to Bo-Katan, though.

Read More: How The Mandalorian Was Influenced by Lone Wolf and Cub

It was passed down to Pre Viszla, the leader of the bounty hunter group Death Watch. After staging a coup on Mandalore, removing the pacifist Mandalorian government, Viszla was killed by Maul, who took the Darksaber for himself, becoming the new ruler of the planet in the process during the Clone Wars. As well as a symbol of his rule, Maul used the Darksaber in a duel against his former master, Darth Sidious, a fight he'd eventually lose.

Sabine later found the Darksaber on Maul's home planet of Dathomir, using it to help free Mandalore from an Imperial puppet government, before passing on the blade to Bo-Katan, the new Mand'alor. The fact that Gideon now has the Darksaber decades later might mean that Bo-Katan was killed during the Purge. 

With so many questions left to be answered, all we can do is wait for The Mandalorian season 2.

John Saavedra is an associate editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9.

The Twilight Zone is as timeless as infinity. In this dimension, 2019 was a special year for the iconic sci-fi anthlogy as it marked the series' 60th anniversary. We may be entering a new decade, but Rod Serling will be there to greet us once more with the annual New Year's Twilight Zone marathon on SYFY.

The marathon begins on Tuesday, Dec. 31st at 6:00 a.m. with "One For The Angels" and concludes on Thursday, Jan. 2nd at 3:30 a.m. with "A Piano in the House." 

This time of year is always special in The Twilight Zone. Rod Serling was born on Christmas Day in 1924. The New Year's Marathon is just one of the many ways Serling's legacy lives on. Earlier this year, his daughter, Anne, wrote in an op-ed for Den of Geek about her father and the anniverary of a series that will live on forever: 

Writing was what my father believed in, what he was passionate about, what he thought had a chance to save society. In 1968, when the country was in the midst of the divisiveness and turmoil of the civil rights and anti-war movements that were tearing it apart, my dad ended a speech at the Library of Congress in Washington by saying, “So long as men and women write what they want, then all of the other freedoms—all of them—will remain intact. And it is then that writing becomes an act of conscience, a weapon of truth, an article of faith.”

The Twilight Zone marathon has become a holiday tradition in itself. We wrote more about the history of the marathon here. 

Here's the full schedule:

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

6:00am — One for the Angels

6:30am — Mr. Denton on Doomsday

7:00am — The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine

7:30am — Walking Distance

8:00am — Escape Clause

8:30am — Perchance to Dream

9:00am — Judgment Night

9:30am — And When The Sky Was Opened

10:00am — What You Need

10:30am — The Four of Us Are Dying

11:00am — Third From The Sun

11:30am — The Fever

12:00pm — The Last Flight

12:30pm — The Purple Testament

1:00pm — Elegy

1:30pm — A World of Difference

2:00pm — Long Live Walter Jameson

2:30pm — People are Alike All Over

3:00pm — Execution

3:30pm — The Big Tall Wish

4:00pm — A Nice Place to Visit

4:30pm — Nightmare as a Child

5:00pm — A Stop At Willoughby

5:30pm — The Chaser

6:00pm — A Passage For Trumpet

6:30pm — Mr. Bevis

7:00pm — Where Is Everybody?

7:30pm — Time Enough At Last

8:00pm — The Hitch-Hiker

8:30pm — The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street

9:00pm — Eye of the Beholder

9:30pm — The Invaders

10:00pm — It’s a Good Life

10:30pm — Five Characters In Search of An Exit

11:00pm — The Dummy

11:30pm — Living Doll

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

12:00am — The Mighty Casey

12:30am — A World of His Own

1:00am — King Nine Will Not Return

1:30am — The Man in the Bottle

2:00am — Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room

2:30am — A Thing About Machines

3:00am — The Howling Man

3:30am — The Lateness of the Hour

4:00am — The Trouble With Templeton

4:30am — A Most Unusual Camera

5:00am — Night of the Meek

5:30am – Dust

6:00am — Back There

6:30am — The Whole Truth

7:00am — A Penny For Your Thoughts

7:30am — Twenty-Two

8:00am — The Odyssey of Flight 33

8:30am — Mr. Dingle, The Strong

9:00am — Static

9:30am — The Prime Mover

10:00am — Long Distance Call

10:30am — A Hundred Yards Over the Rim

11:00am — The Rip Van Winkle Caper

11:30am — The Silence

12:00pm — Shadow Play

12:30pm — The Mind and the Matter

1:00pm — The Obsolete Man

1:30pm — Two

2:00pm — The Arrival

2:30pm — The Shelter

3:00pm — The Passersby

3:30pm — A Game of Pool

4:00pm — The Mirror

4:30pm — The Grave

5:00pm — Deaths-Head Revisited

5:30pm — Still Valley

6:00pm — The Jungle

6:30pm — Once Upon a Time

7:00pm — The Lonely

7:30pm — I Shot An Arrow Into the Air

8:00pm — Mirror Image

8:30pm — The After Hours

9:00pm — Nick of Time

9:30pm — Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?

10:00pm — The Midnight Sun

10:30pm — To Serve Man

11:00pm — Nightmare at 20,000 Feet

11:30pm — The Masks

Thursday, January 2, 2020

12:00am — A Quality of Mercy

12:30am — Nothing in the Dark

1:00am — One More Pallbearer

1:30am — Dead Man’s Shoes

2:00am — The Hunt

2:30am — Showdown With Rance McGrew

3:00am — Kick the Can

3:30am — A Piano in the House

Read and download the Den of Geek Lost In Space Special Edition Magazine right here!

This Star Wars article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian. 

The Mandalorian ends its eight-episode run of excellent Western-inspired adventures with an action-packed episode that pits Mando and his friends against a new Imperial villain. Moff Gideon has arrived as the show's big bad, a ruthless Imperial warlord who will stop at nothing to acquire "the asset" (aka Baby Yoda) for undoubtedly evil reasons.

We learn in the season finale that Gideon was once a member of the Imperial Security Bureau, the elite intelligence agency charged with making sure citizens of the Empire remained loyal. As such, Gideon took part in the Great Purge -- dubbed the "Night of a Thousand Tears" -- the Imperial invasion that killed off most of the Rebel-sympathizing Mandalorian people on Mandalore and sent the survivor's of the race into hiding. Mando even knows Gideon by name because of his reputation during this Purge.

The Mandalorian's cliffhanger ending also reveals one more detail about Gideon's history with the Mandalorians: he now wields the Darksaber, the ceremonial weapon carried by the leader of Mandalore. The last to wield it, as far as we know, was Bo-Katan. The Darksaber, which is a unique black-bladed version of a lightsaber created by a legendary Mandalorian Jedi named Tarre Viszla, switched hands several times before it finally came to Bo-Katan, though.

It was passed down to Pre Viszla, the leader of the bounty hunter group Death Watch. After staging a coup on Mandalore, removing the pacifist Mandalorian government, Viszla was killed by Maul, who took the Darksaber for himself, becoming the new ruler of the planet in the process during the Clone Wars. As well as a symbol of his rule, Maul used the Darksaber in a duel against his former master, Darth Sidious, a fight he'd eventually lose.

Sabine later found the Darksaber on Maul's home planet of Dathomir, using it to help free Mandalore from an Imperial puppet government, before passing on the blade to Bo-Katan, the new Mand'alor. The fact that Gideon now has the Darksaber decades later might mean that Bo-Katan was killed during the Purge. 

Is The Mandalorian setting up a possible ascension for Mando as the new leader of his people with the return of the Darksaber? It's very likely that Gideon and Mando will meet again at some point in the second season, and that the confrontation will be a second chance for the Mandalorian to take out the Imperial who killed so many of his brothers and sisters during the Great Purge. Will he then wield the Darksaber himself and restore the status of his people? That wouldn't be completely out of left field considering Star Wars' space fantasy formula that often sees unlikely heroes rise to become powerful leaders and saviors.

With so many questions left to be answered, all we can do is wait for The Mandalorian season 2.

John Saavedra is an associate editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9.

The Mandalorian arrived like a ton of bricks on the heads of Star Wars fans who hoped that the show would fulfill all of their Boba Fett fantasies. What they received was more than even they could have expected. The first season wasted no time in revealing that this homage to spaghetti westerns and samurai films would not just be about a faceless bounty hunter but also a child with a very familiar visage.

From the very first episode, Baby Yoda completely changed the dynamic of the show. Marketed as a story about a gunslinger making his way through the lawless corners of the galaxy and looking for his next pay day, The Mandalorianturned out to be a space-themed homage to Lone Wolf and Cub -- a "father" protecting his child from money-hungry bounty hunters and ruthless Imperial agents. Mando might have once seemed like a rogue, but we learn that he has a heart of gold when he spares the baby's life and decides to keep him safe.

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By the end of the first season, Mando and Baby Yoda's bond has been all but solidified, as the duo heads toward another adventure in space. The question now is, will there be a season 2 that continues Mando and Baby Yoda's Star Wars story? 

Showrunner Jon Favreau has confirmed that filming for The Mandalorian season 2 is already underway, with this picture from the set of the new season:

Favreau revealed back in July that he was already in the process of writing season 2 and preparing the sets. It seemed Disney was confident in the success of the first live-action Star Wars series before it even premiered in November.

The Mandalorian Season 2 Release Date

As far as when we might see The Mandalorian season 2, Favreau revealed that the show will be back in Fall 2020, which isn't all that surprising considering the first season premiered in the fall.

It remains to be seen how season 2 will fit into the future Disney+ schedule that also includes an Obi-Wan Kenobi series and a Cassian Andor show. Those series don't have set release dates yet. 

For now, we'll just have to wait patiently for The Mandalorian season 2 and more cute Baby Yoda moments. 

John Saavedra is an associate editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9.

Stranger Thingsseason 4 is happening! Netflix renewed the series just three months after the premiere of the third season. This isn't a surprise. Not only does Netflix obviously want to keep the Stranger Things franchise going, but so do The Duffer Brothers and all the other folks who actually make Stranger Things. Otherwise, why keep the hopes of Jim Hopper's survival alive and reintroduce the Demogorgon into the world? The Duffers themselves have previously stated that they had a fourth season tentatively planned.

Here is everything we know about Stranger Things season 4.

Stranger Things Season 4 Release Date

No release date has been set, and it's hard to say when Stranger Things season 4 could premiere. The first two seasons were October affairs with season 3 taking a bit more time and eventually premiering on July 4, 2019.

The aforementioned TV Line report on the number of Season 4 episodes also confirms that shooting will commence in January, likely wrapping in August. Should this prove true, then a usual summer season release in 2020 is likely unfeasible.

Listen to our analysis of Stranger Things on the Sci Fi Fidelity podcast: 

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Acast | RSS

Stranger Things Season 4 Cast

It's not secret that Stranger Things' most potent weapon is its cast. It's fair to assume that all surviving characters will be back in season 4, which means roles for: Winona Ryder, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Gaten Matarazzo, Joe Keery, Noah Schnapp, and Sadie Sink. Recurring actors and new additions like Brett Gelman, Priah Ferguson, Maya Hawke, and maybe even Cary Elwes could return as well.

Then there's the Hopper of it all. There's no way there will be a Stranger Things season without David Harbour, right....RIGHT??? Based on the Stranger Things season 3 post-credits scene, it's probably safe to assume that everyone's favorite taciturn chief will be back.

Stranger Things Season 4 Episodes

Fresh from the Stranger Things Writers Twitter account is the title of the first episode of Stranger Thingsseason 4. According to the title page of the 401 script, the season 4 premiere will be titled "The Hellfire Club."

"Hellfire Club" was a name that could be applied to several exclusive and powerful clubs that populated high British society in the 1700s. It was kind of like a Revolutionary era version of the Illuminati...only real. The Hellfire Club has appeared in numerous fictional works, most notably lending its name to a villainous group in the Marvel X-Men comics. It remains to be seen what kind of connection The Hellfire Club will have with Stranger Things season 4 though it does seem to confirm that this season will have more of an international flair.

Stranger Things Season 4 will contain eight episodes, as TV Line reports.

This number falls in line with Seasons 1 and 3, with 2 being the only deviation with nine episodes.

Stranger Things Season 4 Story

Netflix made the Season 4 announcement on Twitter with a very creepy little promo that teases the dark things coming to the show in season 4. The video also confirms that we'll be venturing away from Hawkins when the show does return. Watch the teaser below:

Immediately following Stranger Things season 3, the Duffer Brothers spoke to EW about their plans for a potential season 4. Ross Duffer said:

We don’t want to write ourselves in a corner so we try to have these early discussions with the writers just to make sure that we’re setting ourselves up to go in the right direction. We don’t know a lot, but we do know a lot of the big broad strokes. At the end of season two, we knew about Billy. We knew that the Russians were going to come in. We didn’t know the mall and stuff, but again, we know these big broad strokes. That’s sort of where we are in season four. We have the big broad strokes. It’s just now about filling in those lines in the details. We’re pretty excited about where it’s potentially going to go. Again, like we said, it’s going to feel very different than this season. But I think that’s the right thing to do and I think it’ll be exciting.

Matt added that season 4 would "open up a little bit" by "allowing portals into areas outside of Hawkins."

Sounds like Stranger Things season 4 could be a global affair.

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Alec Bojalad is TV Editor at Den of Geek and TCA member. Read more of his stuff here. Follow him at his creatively-named Twitter handle @alecbojalad

This My Hero Academia contains spoilers.

My Hero Academia Season 4 Episode 11

“I will become your hero!”

It’s very interesting when the creator of a series starts to fall in love with his new characters to the point that they want to champion them more than the original main character. It happens all the time, especially on shounen series like My Hero Academia that feature a large cast. I’m not saying that’s what happened here with Kohei Horikoshi, the creator of My Hero Academia, but there’s no denying that Izuku Midoriya has taken a backseat during many episodes of this season while other heroes get to shine.

Midoriya has also struggled with insecurity issues over how Nighteye believed that Mirio “Lemillion” Togata would be a better inheritor for All Might’s One For All quirk. This episode is a major showcase for Mirio as he perfectly epitomizes what it means to be a hero. Sure, Midoriya kicks the M.C. Escher maze guy into oblivion, but Mirio fearlessly heads into battle not just against Chisaki, but a bunch of the Shie Hassaikai’s most dangerous villains. By the end of “Lemillion,” the biggest feeling that you’re left with is that Mirio should have been the one to inherit All Might’s quirk, after all.

The majority of this episode delivers on the action, but there’s a sizable flashback to when Chisaki first employs Toga and Twice from the League of Villains into the Shie Hassaikai as the organizations’ lines begin to blur. This parlay doesn't really cover anything that hasn't already been revealed or could be inferred, but it provides some more great character development for Twice. His detached mental state is really fantastic and really just makes him feel like Deadpool or The Boys' Black Noir. Toga also becomes more twisted as she gets into the vampiric nature of how her quirk functions.

read more: Best Anime on Netflix

Toga and Twice have a great chemistry and they’re some of the most entertaining villains to come around in a while, so it’s nice to get to spend some more time with them, especially if they’re about to meet their ends soon. That being said, this hefty glimpse into the past takes a lot of time away from the actual story of the episode. Mirio’s battle against Chisaki flies by and feels quite short as a result. This flashback material would have worked a lot better in the previous episode, especially since Twice and Toga were the focuses of that installment.

Mirio’s encounter with Chisaki is without a doubt some of the best stuff that My Hero Academia has ever done. It ricochets through a heap of emotions as Mirio displays true heroism and only operates with Eri’s safety in mind. It is impossible to watch this episode and not become a die-hard Mirio Togata fan. At this point, I’m even like, “Midioriya who?” All I want is more Mirio. He makes an incredibly strong entrance that’s very emblematic of a hero and would surely make All Might proud. To Mirio’s credit he’s actually able to inflict damage on Chisaki and temporarily snatch Eri away from him.

It’s unclear if Chisaki is just caught by surprise here, but it’s quite humbling to see Mirio hold his own for a minute against him and understand that Overhaul’s physical strength is lacking. Chisaki keeps his cool, but his deep resentment is very palpable. He also continues to psychologically berate Eri and make this innocent kid feel awful.

Mirio does an impressive job dodging Chisaki’s quirk and the tag team effort that’s launched against him, but it’s only a matter of time before he’s overwhelmed. Hari Kurono (aka Chronostasis), Overhaul's second in command has been introduced before, but this is the first time we get to experience Deidoro Sakaki's “Sloshed” quirk and it's easily one of the best and most ridiculous to ever appear in the series.

Deidoro is a weird spin on the "drunken master" trope, only when he binges on alcohol, it's his opponent that suffers the sickening side effects. This turns Mirio into a stumbling mess and an easy target for Chronostasis. Let’s also be clear here. The audience is aware of these villains’ quirks, but Mirio heads in blind here. It’s devastating to see each of these Hassaikai members try to pull Mirio apart with their various quirks.

The best part of all of this is the circumstances over how Mirio gets shot. He’s still putting up enough of a fight that it’s too risky to aim at him, so what Chronostasis does instead is shoot the bullet at Eri. Mirio is such a selfless person and a true hero that of course he charges in front of the bullet and takes the hit. It’s a brilliant way to take him out and it turns his heroic traits into a weakness. And even after losing his quirk, he still keeps on fighting.

For a minute I was even thinking that Mirio would actually get killed here, but what “Lemillion” does to Mirio is perhaps even worse than death. As far as the series has indicated, there’s no cure for this quirk elimination process, so Mirio is now just a regular person. Honestly, I hope they keep it like this and don’t come up with some lazy cure as it would completely negate the threat of all of this. Even if the solution was something equally morbid like making bullets out of someone that could restore quirks, it’s still better to not go back on way they’ve done here.

read more: Best Anime on Hulu

Furthermore, an arc that looks at how a hero has to adjust after they’ve lost their quirk and becomes “normal” would be some fascinating subject matter for the series. It’s the sort of thing that could even depress someone so much that they’ve driven to villainy. Another answer to all of this would be if Midoriya decided to transfer his One For All quirk over to Mirio. It would really be the ultimate gesture, and one that’s arguably deserved, but I don’t see the show taking that route (although it wouldn’t be a bad decision for the series finale).

Overhaul has also never revealed the full scope of his plan. It’s obvious that he wants to eliminate the quirks in heroes, but is this just to gain the advantage, or does he want to eliminate quirks entirely? That’s perhaps too lofty of a goal considering how difficult it is to produce the quirk-killing bullets from Eri, but that strangely seems more like Overhaul’s M.O. Chisaki uses such a twisted, obtuse logic at times that I could see him wanting a quirk-less world where people just need to survive on their own merits. He refers to quirks as a “disease” in this episode and how he wants to “fix” people.

“Lemillion” is the best episode of My Hero Academia season 4 and easily one of the top five installments that the series has ever done. In a season that’s been all over the place with its pacing and focus, this episode is a stunning reminder of what it means to be a hero and it makes a strong case for why Mirio is the real MVP.

“Lemillion” concludes with Midoriya making a heroic entrance, but the following episode should be very telling. Midoriya and Chisaki are set to face off, but we’ll see if the heights of that fight and Deku’s courage rival Mirio’s from this entry. The chances of it being better are one in lemillion.

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Daniel Kurland is a published writer, comedian, and critic whose work can be read on Den of Geek, Vulture, and Bloody Disgusting. Daniel knows that the owls are not what they seem, that Psycho II is better than the original, and that Hannibal is the greatest love story ever told. His perma-neurotic thought process can be followed at @DanielKurlansky.

My Hero Academia is one of the more popular anime to emerge in recent years. With three seasons and a feature film under its belt, the series' Season 4 hits the ground running in 2019 for what's to be another year of excitement. Young Izuku Midoriya and his fellow classmates at U.A. High continue to gracefully and believably grow into the next generation of professional heroes. Here's everything we know about the new season!

My Hero Academia Season 4 Release Date

You can typically catch newMy Hero Academia Season 4 episodes every Saturday on Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Hulu. The upcoming episode 11, "Lemillion", is set to be released December 28, 2019. You can watch the trailer below.

My Hero Academia Season 4, Episode 11 Trailer

Check out the trailer for the upcoming episode of My Hero Academia Season 4!

My Hero Academia Season 4 Episodes

My Hero Academia Season 4 Episode 1: The Scoop on U.A. Class 1-A

"After All Might announces his retirement, freelance reporter Taneo Tokuda goes to the dorms to investigate U.A. Class 1-A."

release date: 10/12/2019

Read our review of "The Scoop on U.A. Class 1-A" here.

My Hero Academia Season 4 Episode 2: Overhaul

"Overhaul pays a visit to the League of Villains, and Midoriya tries to find a place to do his work study."

release date: 10/19/2019

Read our review of "Overhaul" here.

My Hero Academia Season 4 Episode 3: Boy Meets...

"Izuku battles Sir Nighteye so he can do his work study at Nighteye's agency, but Nighteye has someone else in mind to be All Might's successor..."

release date: 10/26/2019

Read our review of "Boy Meets..." here.

My Hero Academia Season 4 Episode 4: Fighting Fate

"Izuku's mind is swirling with feelings from his work study, so he goes and talks to All Might about it and learns about All Might's fate."

release date: 11/9/2019

Read our review of "Fighting Fate" here.

My Hero Academia Season 4 Episode 5: Let's Go, Gutsy Red Riot

"The U.A. work study students go out with their respective heroes and become involved in some big fights."

release date: 11/16/2019

Read our review of "Let's Go, Gutsy Red Riot!" here.

My Hero Academia Season 4 Episode 6: An Unpleasant Talk

"The work study students from U.A. attend a meeting of heroes gathered by Sir Nighteye and leave with new resolve."

release date: 11/23/2019

Read our review of "An Unpleasant Talk" here.

My Hero Academia Season 4 Episode 7: GO!!

"The work study students wait until the pro heroes find Eri and it's time to start the operation to save her."

release date: 11/30/2019

Read our review of "GO!!" here.

My Hero Academia Season 4 Episode 8: Suneater of the Big Three

"The Shie Hassaikai is going all out to stop the heroes, and Suneater volunteers to take out the first batch of Eight Bullets members in their way."

release date: 12/07/2019

Read our review of "Suneater of the Big Three" here.

My Hero Academia Season 4 Episode 9: Red Riot

"As the fight with the Shie Hassaikai continues, Kirishima has to face his past when he and Fat Gum get separated from the others."

release date: 12/14/2019

Read our review of "Red Riot" here.

My Hero Academia Season 4 Episode 10: Temp Squad

"The Hassaikai gets some help from the League of Villains as the heroes continue to make their way to Chisaki to rescue Eri."

release date: 12/21/2019

Read our review of "Temp Squad" here.

My Hero Academia Season 4 Episode 11: Lemillion

release date: 12/28/2019

Read our review of "Lemillion" here.

My Hero Academia Season 4 Story Details

Season three of My Hero Academia ends with the introduction of The Big 3, U.A. High’s most powerful students, with Mirio Togata making a particularly strong impression. Mirio also announces to Midoriya and company that their next major task will be internships with major Pro-Heroes. My Hero Academia’s  “Internship Arc” is the series’ longest arc from the manga, so it’s safe to say that it will take up the bulk of season four. Season four will also further the growth of the show’s new, powerful characters from both the hero and villain departments, like All Might’s former sidekick, Nighteye, and new foe, Overhaul (who’s in full form in season four’s brief teaser from Jump Festa). Season four is very much still apart of the larger “Rise of the Villains” saga and that short teaser indicates that Shigaraki and his evil team will continue to gain power and out-maneuver the good guys.

My Hero Academia Season 4 Poster

Check out this Season 4 Poster:

Editor's note: This story appears in our latest Den of Geek special edition magazine presented in parternship with Netflix. You can find more infomation on the issue here.

“Danger, Will Robinson!” by Bill Mumy 

I’ve run the gamut of emotions when hearing those three words over the last 54 years. I was a prolific and experienced professional actor, having worked half of my 10 years, by the time I accepted the role of Will Robinson in Irwin Allen’s ambitious television project, Lost in Space. What kid wouldn’t have loved to be Will? He was a genius. Brave, trusting, open, bold, and respectful. He had a laser gun and he used it. He often saved the day. And… he played the guitar.

To me, Will was a superhero and I modeled him after Bucky Barnes, Captain America’s sidekick from World War II. At the time I was filming Lost in Space from 1965-1968, the Marvel Comics character was being written by Stan Lee and illustrated with great power by Jack “King” Kirby. Their work had a big influence on me and how I portrayed Will. 

“Danger Will Robinson” became a catch phrase during the psychedelic ‘60s—like “Sock it to me!”—and I was proud to be connected with it.

The show varied in tone—from gorgeous black and white adventure stories about a family struggling against the unknown dangers of an alien planet (all played out to the percussive themes of John Williams’ brilliant score) to the campy, brightly-colored, over-lit insanity of a six-foot talking carrot in a rubber suit hamming it up while the cast couldn’t keep a straight face. After 83 hour-long adventures in space, Lost in Space ended its original network run on CBS. I was 14 years old.

Soon I found myself touring and performing as a professional musician. When someone in the audience shouted, “Danger, Will Robinson” during a set, those three words didn’t resonate as positively as they had a few years earlier.  Like most young adults, I wanted to distance myself from how the public perceived me as a child and I rebelled against that image. I soon came to understand that Lost in Space would never go away. It resonates with generation after generation. But why?

The imagination is able to fly untethered when placing a family in the potential stories of countless deep space alien worlds. The conflict of a self-serving stowaway—a character you despise but come to love at the same time—who gains the trust of the youthful protagonist is brilliant. The addition of Robot, who can serve as a “Swiss Army Knife” in times of conflict is another eternally great idea. And our classic robot, designed by Robert Kinoshita, who also created “Robby the Robot” for the film Forbidden Planet, remains a brilliant design.

But beyond that, Lost in Space is about family. That is why it worked for the past 54 years—and that’s why it works now on Netflix.

For the past 20 years or so, producers Kevin Burns and Jon Jashni have single-handedly been in charge of the classic Irwin Allen properties. Thankfully, they knew the proper approach to re-launching Lost in Space, and held out until they had assembled the precise creative team to do it right. Chemistry is a funny thing. You can’t “cast” it. You can only hope for it. The original cast had it and the new cast has it in spades.

read more: Lost in Space is Lifting Off With A Bigger Sci-Fi Quest In Season 2

So far, they’ve done everything right. The tone of the show is appropriately dramatic—just as our earliest episodes were. The danger comes from every direction. The characters are well defined and brilliantly acted. The expanse of filming exteriors in distant locations and then blending them with state-of-the-art CGI works beautifully. The music harkens back to the original John Williams themes. And there are plenty of affectionate “nudge nudge, wink wink” moments that let you know that the people behind the new Lost in Space love the original version just as much as the fans do.

During the production of season one, I flew up to Vancouver to work on the show and was so pleased to learn that the cast had bonded like a true family. The crew was happy and proud. The production office couldn’t wait to jam on the next idea.

They have a winner here.

I am honored to see Will Robinson’s destiny in Maxwell Jenkins’ capable heart and hands. He is a thoughtful, deeply talented actor and a genuinely wonderful human being. Max and I bonded quickly.  We talked about Will and his connection to the Robot and Smith, the technical intelligence of the wardrobe, and props he was working with on set. We got into deep discussions about working on a series and having to be shuffled back and forth to a school trailer whenever a scene was finished. That was always my toughest pill to swallow as a kid. We talked about music, and I was blown away to learn Max was in the process of writing a report on Pete Seeger and plays the mandolin.

When I was filming Lost in Space in the ‘60s, I was a huge folk music fan, and Pete Seeger was one of my heroes. And, I play mandolin. Max and I jammed. I made him an 80-minute mix of Pete Seeger songs. Then we talked about comic books and I was surprised to discover not only does Max read comic books, but his favorite character is Captain America. So, I remembered a comic book store in Vancouver that I had visited while shooting a sequel to TheTwilight Zone episode, “It’s a Good Life” with Cloris Leachman and my daughter Liliana years ago.

On a long, cold walk over the weekend, I found the store still there. I bought Max a collection of the Kirby-Lee Captain America and Bucky stories that had so inspired my performances as Will Robinson over 50 years earlier.  I also picked up the “Winter Soldier” Bucky Barnes collection that brings the character back into modern continuity.  It features a “darker,” more realistic, Bucky. Perfect for a darker, more realistic, Will Robinson.

Now, I’m seeing and hearing those three words again more than ever: “Danger, Will Robinson!”

And it makes me smile such a sweet smile.

***

Original Lost in Space images courtesy of PhotoFest.

Read and download the Den of Geek Lost In Space Special Edition Magazine right here!

This Steven Universe Future review contains spoilers.

Steven Universe Future Episode 9 Review

“I’ve always been trying to help my friends. I don’t know who I am without them.”

This admission from Steven sets the stage for Steven Universe Future to start revving up the plot. We’ve had enough setup of Steven slowly being overwhelmed by his responsibilities at Little Homeschool but ‘Little Graduation’ took it in a direction I wasn’t quite expecting. 

The main issue with Steven isn’t that he’s just overworking himself and not dealing with his emotions. It’s that Steven is overworking himself because he has to feel like he’s needed. He’s trying so hard to help his friends because that’s the only way he feels like he can relate to them. Little Homeschool was perfect for that because everyone needed him but now that house of cards has fallen. Once the Gems leave? They don’t need him anymore. He’s not a part of their lives.

This was inevitable for Steven. All the way back when the full version of the theme song was unveiled, Steven sang, “I will fight to be everything that everybody wants me to be when I’m grown.” It stemmed from the way everyone expected him to be Rose. He’s internalized it to a certain degree and he’s developed bad coping mechanisms to deal with it. Now that no one expects him to be Rose he’s transferred that desire to helping others with anything and everything they need.

Steven has become that friend in the group who’s always willing to listen to your problems but doesn’t know how to tell you to stop. He takes on too much and is slowly cracking under the pressure. Seeing his reaction to all his friends leaving tied in nicely with all the themes of growing up Steven Universe Future has been tackling but it adds an extra layer of meaning for Steven’s internal conflict. 

Steven creates those walls around everyone because he doesn’t just want them to go, he needs them to stay so he can feel as if he has a purpose in life. Steven is finally confronting who he is. He can’t hide in his youthful optimism or coping mechanisms anymore, he needs to confront it or risk hurting himself and others. Like in ‘Volleyball,’ Steven got very close to hurting people he cares about because of his unchecked emotions. The series is beautifully setting up the idea that if you don’t deal with your more difficult emotions it’ll eventually blow up in your face.

The series has previously tackled mental health issues in episodes such as ‘Mindful Education’ but this is taking it a step further. That episode was just Connie and Steven dealing with a few bad actions. Here though, it’s a whole lifetime of coping mechanisms that helped Steven get through a lot when he was younger but is now holding him back.

It should be said we often develop coping mechanisms when we’re younger just to survive and that there’s nothing wrong with that. Kids especially need them. It’s when we get older though that they start to show more of a negative impact overall. 

Steven Universecontinues to tackle topics that no other show has done with such care and realism. It’s taken the show this long to build up to this plot and it feels like it was the series’ long game all along, to tell a story involving Steven learning about and then unpacking coping mechanisms. It’s absolutely brilliant and I can’t wait to see where it goes here. Steven was confronted with some harsh truths but will he deal with them head on or try to avoid them once again? We’ll have to see.

I must also shower the series with praise for the character of Shep, fantastically played by the non-binary Indya Moore. While Shep never identifies themselves on screen all the characters use they/them pronouns. Since Moore is non-binary in real life it’s safe to assume that Shep is non-binary as well. Not only that but they’re a person of color! 

Also that more than likely means Sadie is queer (used as an umbrella term) as well. Straight people can obviously date non-binary people but come on, Sadie is more than likely queer and that’s incredible. Bless this show and its glorious representation.

Keep up with all our Steven Universe Future news here!

Read and download the Den of Geek Lost in Space Special Edition Magazine right here!

Shamus Kelley is a pop culture/television writer and official Power Rangers expert. Follow him on Twitter! He also co-hosts a Robotech podcast, which covers the original series and the new comics. Give it a listen! Read more articles by him here!