Month: August 2019

Having escaped from Dr. Woodrue’s lab with the help of Abby and Liz, Swamp Thing is trying to come to terms with the  truth that he is not Alec Holland. In fact, he is a sentient plant possessing the memories of Holland, created by the mutagen in the swamp. While Swamp Thing and Abby barely get a moment’s peace, a group of mercenaries (led by Shaw, played by Jake Busey!) and hired by Ellery are sent to retrieve Swamp Thing.

Meanwhile, after Jason’s wife Caroline overdosed on her medication,  she remains mute and defenseless due to “locked-in syndrome”.  Jason is preparing to treat her with what he harvested from Swamp Thing, namely his heart and organs. He will duct tape her to a chair and force-feed her pieces of his organs (trying hard not to make a Vegan joke!). But of course, like any mad scientist he tries it on himself first!

Matt Cable is in the hospital after his drunk driving accident, Sheriff Lucilla goes to visit him and runs into Avery, who tries in vain to offer her a fresh-start with him. Maria is still in the psychiatric hospital and Avery’s business deal with the Conclave has fallen through. Swamp Thing faces the mercenaries during the night. Abby goes to Woodrue’s house and discovers what he is doing to Caroline, in the hope of stopping it before it’s too late!

Without giving away any spoilers for the show, the revelation made about Swamp Thing’s existence in the last episode,was really no surprise to many people. For those fans that have been following the story of Swamp Thing, particularly Alan Moore’s “Saga of the Swamp Thing” in the 1980’s and 90’s. But for those that are new to the story, the show gave away that fact quite early in the promotional material featuring Swamp Thing carrying a decomposed body. While many had much speculation of what this meant, even DC’s own “DC Daily” talk show had their own predictions. But to me, (and I hope many others) it was plainly obvious from the beginning.

Ironically the final episode is titled “Loose Ends” which doesn’t even begin to address many of the loose ends in the show’s story, especially of their ancillary characters like Daniel/Blue Demon, Matt Cable, and Madame Xanadu. It would have been nice to have seen other characters within the realm of DC Comics’ extensive supernatural and mystical characters. Cameos from John Constantine and the Spectre, could have been a much-needed addition to the show. I would have loved to have seen one of my favorite characters as well, Etrigan the Demon, who appeared in many “Swamp Thing” comics.

The show most likely gets its name from issue #20 of “Saga of the Swamp Thing” (January, 1984) which was also the first issue that Alan Moore wrote. The best twist (and acting) comes from Dr. Jason Woodrue (played by Kevin Durand), who brings a sort of gravitas to the role with just the right amount of dark humor and even some sympathy to the character. His ultimate fate is worthy of his comic book counterpart.

While this is the final episode of Swamp Thing, it is unfortunately also the series finale as well. As I had mentioned in my review of Episode 2, there had been many rumors surrounding the cancellation of the series, involving everything from budget and production issues, to problems with a grant issued by the state of North Carolina, and DC Universe’s streaming service shutting down. But so far, no official reason has been given for the show’s cancellation. The “Swamp Thing” series had such promise to be a provocative and effective series. Unlike any other DC Comic dramas such as” Arrow” or “Flash”, and the streaming service building up its catalog with the likes of “Doom Patrol”  has already been renewed for Season 2.

I will say one good thing. I was not wholly disappointed with the ending of the show, as it did bring Swamp Thing and Abby together again and even left it open for some hope of continuation. With an exciting post-credit stinger (No Spoiler!), and paying some service to Blue Devil fans in the episode as well.

Fans like me have a few things to look forward to, but perhaps not from the DC Universe streaming service. While it does provide a lot of content, including many TV shows, cartoons, movies and comic books, I feel that it will be short-lived, and may even be taken over by Warner Media’s own service coming soon. Not to mention the new “Pennyworth” series on EPIX, the upcoming “Watchmen” series on HBO and the highly anticipated Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series from Netflix. Until then, Swamp Thing will have to return to the swamp, hoping not to be lost in its murky depths of the DC Universe.

“Love is the flower of life, and blossoms unexpectedly and without law, and must be plucked where it is found, and enjoyed for the brief hour of its duration.” – D. H. Lawrence.