Greetings, readers! I emerge from the shadows of the computer screen to present you with yet another review – this time of a familiar series. I have written before about the Rip the Falcon, and the newest episode happened to drop recently. Of course, yours truly enjoys the series so much she jumped at the chance to watch the next installment, and now she brings it to you to see!
The latest episode of Rip the Falcon is titled “Punch Drunk” and it is very short, almost criminally so. Before I give you my thoughts on the installment, take a look at it yourselves below:
Rip the Falcon | Punch Drunk
The episode tantalizes us as we see Rip stopping off in a bar. He orders a shot of actual snake venom, which the bartender tries to dissuade him from taking. When he drinks it, Rip has a flashback. It seems to be a memory of a much younger Rip (with a cute tuft of feathers atop his head) staring down from a cliffside.
The intro theme for each episode we have seen so far makes it clear that Rip’s memories are not available to him. He literally has no idea where he came from or where he is going. All he knows is that he is searching through the Reach – and righting wrongs as he goes.
Perhaps because of the flashback, Rip orders another shot of snake venom. Hey, it helped him remember something. Maybe another drink of the stuff will jog more memories loose!
But the bartender insists that a second glass of venom will kill Rip and refuses to serve him more. Thereafter Rip goes to sleep and has a series of nightmares he does not remember. When a local man wakes him, Rip apologizes and admits he doesn’t know why he was screaming. He then flies off into the wild again, searching for what, he still cannot be sure.
“Punch Drunk” leaves viewers with more questions than answers: How does Rip drink snake venom and survive? Was that really him in the flashback, or was it another falcon, perhaps a member of his family? Did he have a family? If so, where are they? What happened to them? Why did the snake venom trigger the memory?
If you want a refresher on the series, follow the link here. All four episodes of the first season, plus the comic book animation, are available for viewing through that link. Viewed alone, “Punch Drunk” may seem to leave you wanting as well as hanging (which is fair – you want to know what happens next, right?), but in addition to the rest of the episodes it helps further Rip’s character. He is a wandering samurai in a wild west with no memory of his past. We are learning more about him as he relearns more about himself, a fascinating journey in any story but especially worthwhile in this context.
Personally, this episode leaves me wanting even more from the next installment. Will we receive further hints to our wandering Falcon’s past? If Rip runs into something inhuman or monstrous, might it cause another flashback? It does not take much to send someone with severe trauma into a memory, especially if they are already working on recalling it. Should Rip have a flashback in the middle of combat, that could be a severe setback for him.
Further good news to report is available in this video here:
Rip the Falcon | VHS Promo
That is right, for a limited time only you will be able to buy Rip the Falcon ON VHS!!!! And do not tell me no one has VHS players anymore. I know better. People do.
If you are one of those people with a VHS player or know someone who is, and you like Rip the Falcon or know someone who will, then you have found a potential present for them this year. Follow TIC Studios today and pick up a VHS tape from their Etsy store HERE. This is one series you will REALLY want in hard copy!
So, now that you know my opinion of “Punch Drunk,” what are your thoughts on it? What do you hope we see in the next installment? Leave a message in the comments and let me know!
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If you liked this article, friend Caroline Furlong on Facebook or follow her here at www.carolinefurlong.wordpress.com. Her stories have been published in Cirsova’s Summer Special and Unbound III: Goodbye, Earth. She has also had stories published in the Planetary Anthology Series. Another story was released in Cirsova Magazine’s Summer Issue in 2020, and she had a story published in Storyhack Magazine’s 7th Issue, Cirsova Magazine’s 2021 Summer Issue, and another may be read over at Ember Journal. Vol. 1* and Vol. 2* of her series – The Guardian Cycle – is available in paperback and ebook as well. So is her first YA novel, Debris, which can be purchased in ebook and paperback here* and here*. Order them today!
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A Song of Joy by Caroline Furlong 