By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 18 seconds ago

It’s hard for a series to stick the landing and provide a final episode that gives fans resolution while wrapping up years of stories and characterization. Star Trek: The Next Generation pulled it off, Scrubs did (before the last-minute renewal), Mad Men is another good one, but far removed from that list is one of the 90’s breakout shows, Xena: Warrior Princess. The final two episodes, “A Friend in Need, Part One” and “Part Two” are so bad that even Lucy Lawless refuses to acknowledge they exist. 

The Death Of Xena

“A Friend in Need” takes Xena from the confines of Greece and sends her off to Japan, where she attempts to make up for the darkest act she ever performed: killing 40,000 people when she started a fire, out of anger, that burned down an entire village. If you don’t remember when that happened, don’t worry, it was never mentioned during the entire six-season run of Xena: Warrior Princess until, at the last moment, it became the most horrible, most heinous act she committed. It’s the equivalent of a sitcom spending years building up to meeting one character, for the sake of argument, say a mother, and then in the last episodes revealing that nothing mattered. 

Xena and Gabrielle (Renee O’Connor) journey to Mt. Fuji, ready to face down an army under the control of Lord Yodoshi, the Samurai Lord killed by his daughter and Xena’s lover, Akemi, one of the most important people in the Amazon warrior’s life who again, we’re meeting now, in flashback, and then in the Underworld, in the series finale. In order for Yodoshi to be truly defeated Xena must die and fight him in the Underworld. That would be all well and good because the repentant hero gives up her life to set free 40,000 souls she unknowingly condemned, except for one thing: Xena chooses to stay dead. 

Gabrielle picking up the blood-soaked chakram and successfully using it in battle is an amazing moment. Xena cutting Lord Yodoshi is immensely satisfying. The problem is that after Xena says in the first episode that Gabrielle is the most important person in her life, and we see flashbacks to past episodes, including “One Against An Army,” the two are denied the happy ending they, and the fans, deserved. Gabrielle has to take down Xena’s mutilated, headless body from where the Samurai put it on display, and then has to endure Xena choosing to stay dead for the sake of the lost souls.   

Xena’s Massive Fandom Deserved Better

In spite of the horrendous ending, tens of thousands of fans still flock to annual conventions, Xena becomes a hit on every streaming platform lucky enough to host it, and the story lives on through multiple comic books, novels, and fanfiction epics. Lucy Lawless has explained over the years that at the time, the cast and crew thought it was a cool, crazy way to kill off a character, but seeing the way fans reacted broke her heart. 

Xena: Warrior Princess started out as a spin-off of Kevin Sorbo’s Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, but the rabid fanbase it attracted primarily for the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle has caused it to outlive the original series for decades. To turn around in the series finale and not only deny them a happy ending but to brutally murder Xena in the process, then choose people the audience never met over Gabrielle, is twisting the knife. There’s a reason real fans stop rewatches with “Many Happy Returns.” Stopping there means that Xena is still alive with countless adventures ahead of her. That’s how she should be remembered. 

Social media users are sharing mixed opinions after Eva Giselle Jordan showed off the dress her mom, Mimi Faust, made her wear to her eighth-grade dance.

RELATED: Time Flies! Recent Footage Of Stevie J & Mimi Faust’s Daughter Eva Has Internet Users Calling Themselves “Old” (VIDEO)

Eva Giselle Jordan Shows Off The Dress Her Mom Mimi Faust Made Her Wear To Her Eighth-Grade Dance

Earlier this week, Mimi Faust took to her Instagram account to share a reel with her more than 4.4 million followers. In the clip, Faust appeared alongside her daughter, Eva Giselle Jordan, and her friend, Ty. Furthermore, Jordan told viewers that in eighth grade, she attended a sneaker ball. From there, she paused and referred to her mom.

“She thinks I’m 10 still,” Jordan said, placing her phone in the camera’s view to show a picture of her at the event, dressed in a long, black maxi gown.

Furthermore, as Jordan showed the picture, Faust remarked on how “cute” the dress was. However, Jordan and Ty vehemently disagreed.

“So she was supposed to have a dress with her thighs and ass and titties out? What was she supposed to wear? I think that was very cute,” Faust added.

Ultimately, Ty said Jordan looked like an “old maid,” while Jordan remarked that she’s “scared” for this year’s dance. Nonetheless, Faust reiterated that she doesn’t want her daughter looking like a “thot,” though Jordan tried to point out that she lacks an “in between” preference.

Peep the clip below.

Social Media Shares Mixed Opinions About The Dress For Her Eighth-Grade Dance

Social media users shared mixed opinions about the dress Eva Giselle Jordan donned for her eighth-grade dinner in TSR’s comments. Some agreed with Mimi Faust’s choice, while others didn’t see the vision.

Eva Giselle Jordan & Her Mom Mimi Faust Made Headlines In Recent Months

As The Shade Room previously reported, Eva Giselle Jordan and Mimi Faust initially made headlines last year when Faust posted footage of Jordan practicing her driving skills.

Then, in December, the pair turned heads with their Saturday night dance clip.

RELATED: Social Media Screams “Twins” After Eva & Bonnie Bella Appear In New Posts With Their Moms Mimi Faust & Joseline Hernandez

Dylan Dreyer
Savannah Will Likely Come Back … Just Not Sure When

Published
March 10, 2026
6:00 PM PDT

Days of Our Lives saw Stephanie Johnson (Abigail Klein) apologized to Jeremy Horton (Michael Roark) for thinking he was her stalker. Once she saw Owen Kent (Wes Ramsey), then Stephanie was horrified she ever suspected Jeremy. So, will Stephanie also forgive him for his past abuse, too?

As of now, Jeremy and Stephanie remain in captivity and at Owen’s mercy. And Stephanie and Jeremy are all they have right now. So, will this trauma bonding lead to a truce or even a reunion?

Days of our Lives: Jeremy Wrongly Accused

So, for months now, Alex Kiriakis (Robert Scott Wilson), Steve Johnson (Stephen Nichols), Kayla Brady (Mary Beth Evans), Jada Hunter (Elia Cantu) and Stephanie all thought Jeremy was the stalker and now blame him for the kidnapping. Based on faked evidence. Stephanie decided he was a villain and a liar from the moment she saw he was back.

But despite all the accusations he faced, Jeremy still showed up to try and rescue Stephanie last week instead of just leaving town. Jeremy followed Owen, with no idea who he was, to locate Stephanie.

Stephanie Realizes Jeremy Was Framed

But, before Jeremy could safely get Stephanie out of the storage room, Owen showed up. And that’s when Stephanie freaked out and finally realized all her assumptions were wrong. Later, Jeremy learned from Stephanie who Owen is and why she’s terrified.

Jeremy told Stephanie that he recognized him because Owen posed as a school janitor and had a strange interaction with Jeremy before the creep left Stephanie’s cell phone for someone to find. And it was Thomas DiMera (Cary Christopher) who found her cell and turned it into Jeremy at the school.

That’s when he realized something was very wrong, especially when Jeremy started hearing sirens approaching North Salem Elementary. He figured out he was being set up, so Jeremy snuck out a bathroom window and saw Owen then tracked him to the hospital’s secret lab.

But because of Stephanie’s assumptions and Owen’s frame job, Jeremy couldn’t convince her to run before Owen came back. And so now, Stephanie and Jeremy are both handcuffed to chairs, hoping and praying someone in the lab next door would hear their cries for help.

In fact, this week, Dr. Wilhelm Rolf (Richard Wharton) makes a surprising discovery. So, he may find Jeremy and Stephanie shackled to the chairs. But even if he does, Rolf would likely order his helper Owen, who’s been monitoring Lexie Carver’s (Renee Jones) machines, to just get rid of the captives so his lab’s not at risk.

Rolf has important work to do with Lexie now that she’s so close to her full resurrection, so he doesn’t want to have to deal with cops and all the commotion it could bring during this crucial time for his patient.

Stephanie and Jeremy Team Up to Escape

So, this could be a hard pill for Stephanie and Jeremy to swallow. Owen’s vowed to take Stephanie far away and dispose of Jeremy. He’s annoyed because Owen was counting on his scapegoat Jeremy being in jail and not showing up there complicating things.

Plus, one other thing Owen isn’t counting on is Stephanie teaming up with her ex, Jeremy, to make an escape from that ratty little room. Stephanie and Jeremy have to trust each other in order to get away from their delusional captor.

Stephanie and Jeremy also talked about playing into Owen’s delusion that he’s going to make a life with Stephanie. They thought doing that might get Owen to at least let Jeremy go. Stephanie saw some tenderness from Jeremy when Stephanie needed it the most.

Days of our Lives: Escape Measures

In the midst of this horrible crisis, after Jeremy tried his best to dislocate his thumb to get loose, he scootched his chair closer to Stephanie. And the two clutched their fingers together as they waited in fear of what Owen would do to them next.

Meanwhile, the Salem PD, Steve, and Alex are following every lead to locate Stephanie. The cops were looking for Jeremy too because he was their main suspect. But Steve finally started to see the light on their bad assumptions.

He told Jada that the timing of the cell phone showing up at the school makes no sense if Jeremy’s the kidnapper. And Steve’s now clued in that Jeremy might’ve been set up by the real stalker. Top cop Jada also has her doubts.

That’s why she went back over the CCTV video footage of the Horton Town Square when Alex was slashed by a man in a lab coat. Jada and Steve now realize that’s not Jeremy and someone was framing him.

Jeremy Embraces Stephanie After Their Escape

Days of Our Lives spoilers hint that Stephanie and Jeremy’s escape or rescue may happen by the end of this week. They’ll be out of Owen’s hands soon, no matter how it goes. After that, things may take a big turn for Stephanie and Alex.

Spoilers for later this week say that Jeremy embraces Stephanie. There is no way he could do that if Jeremy were still handcuffed to the chair. Either Stephanie or Jeremy has to be untied—or both—for that to happen.

Maybe he finally dislocates his thumb so he can get loose. We also know that Alex and Rafe Hernandez (Galen Gering) are in the lab soon and Alex rushes into the storage room. But will he walk in on his wife Stephanie hugging her ex-boyfriend Jeremy?

Meanwhile, Steve and Brady Black (Eric Martsolf) catch up with Owen at the park and are shocked to see his face. At first glance, Alex may assume Jeremy was conspiring with Owen all this time. Stephanie may have to defend Jeremy from the blame.

Days of our Lives: Trauma Bonding Could Lead to Stephanie and Jeremy Reunion

And after their ordeal, we could see Stephanie trauma bonding with Jeremy. If that causes problems for her and Alex, that could set things up for Joy Wesley to get her claws into Alex when Joy’s back to Salem next month, possibly with Alex’s baby in her arms.

But in the interim, if Stephanie comes out of the kidnapping with forgiveness in her heart toward Jeremy, it could cause tension between her and Alex. Plus, if her new husband pushes her about starting a family, Stephanie may say she never wants kids. That could be a big issue.

Joy’s back to Salem on April 24th and Jeremy leaves on April 29th, so we have a little overlap there. Jeremy and Stephanie continue to bond this week and should be away from Owen soon. And if Stephanie comes out of it seeing Jeremy differently, Alex might not like that at all.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 hour ago

The NBC sitcom Community is rightfully regarded as one of the best television comedies ever made, at least for the first three seasons. However, showrunner Dan Harmon was replaced in Season 4, a season whose poor quality and reception would give it the Harmon-approved nickname “the gas leak year.” Harmon came back for Seasons 5 and 6, but the show continued to lose original cast members, and after leaving NBC, its final season was broadcast to a much smaller audience on Yahoo!

Because of this, there is a general belief in the Community fandom and the internet at large that the show should have ended after Season 3 and that the last three seasons are worth skipping altogether. While it’s true that Season 4 was pretty iffy (it lacked Dan Harmon’s special brand of crazy), Seasons 5 and 6 are excellent. Not only are they worthy of the seasons that came before, but these episodes are dramatically better than almost anything you can find on television right now.

Six Seasons And A Movie

First, some context about the rise and fall of Community. From the beginning, the show was something of a paradox for NBC: it gained widespread critical acclaim and major awards buzz, taking home a Primetime Emmy (one of four the show would ultimately be nominated for) in its second season. At the same time, the show struggled with ratings, and it was put on hiatus in Season 3 before being brought back after a prolonged  #SaveCommunity fan campaign that even the actors took part in.

Community got renewed for Season 4, but after he clashed with NBC executives and Chevy Chase in increasingly public ways, Dan Harmon got the boot and was replaced as showrunner. He was brought back for Season 5, but this was the season where beloved cast member Donald Glover left the show. As the show faced low ratings yet again, NBC officially canceled Community, and it would later air its sixth and final season (one that saw the departure of Yvette Nicole Brown) on the brief-lived streaming service Yahoo TV.

The Fan Disappointment Was Streets Ahead

It’s not hard to see why the second half of Community got a bad rap: Season 4 is so tonally different, and everyone feels out-of-character without the presence of Dan Harmon (who famously based the show on his experiences as a Glenndale Community College student who became part of a study group). When Harmon came back for Season 4, he used a throwaway line about a gas leak to casually explain that none of that season’s events had actually happened.

However, a lore reset wasn’t enough for some fans: by the end, Community had lost three of its core cast members (Donald Glover, Chevy Chase, and Yvette Nicole Brown), greatly affecting the show’s dynamic. This was a show whose entire charm came from the weird chemistry of vastly different characters who banded together to survive their college classes. Because that dynamic changed so dramatically with the introduction of new characters, many fans think that Seasons 5 and 6, even with the return of Dan Harmon as showrunner, aren’t worth watching.

They Didn’t Britta The Final Seasons

Here’s the thing, though: those seasons are surprisingly excellent, and that’s in large part due to Community getting some new blood. It’s true that the show lost something special with the departure of original cast members, especially Donald Glover. His Troy character’s interactions with Abed formed the heart and soul of the show. But Season 5 saw the addition of Breaking Bad icon Jonathan Banks, whose gruff, no-nonsense professor gives our favorite deranged students someone hilariously crusty to bounce off of (he is particularly impressive in “Advanced Advanced Dungeons & Dragons”).

Similarly, Season 6 saw the introduction of Paget Brewster as an administrator who, despite her softer edges, provides a similar role: she is someone relatively strait-laced that the other characters (who are as immature as ever) can easily play off of. But the real secret sauce of Community’s sixth season is Keith David, whose quirky inventor combines the best parts of Pierce (old and hilariously out of touch) and the most transgressive parts of Troy (especially with jokes making racism into a raucous punchline). Davis is a genuine cinematic treasure, and he breathes so much life into Season 6, you’ll never guess it’s the final season until the very end. 

Funnier And Weirder Than Greendale Itself

Aside from the awesome performances from newcomers like Keith David, the other reason that Community’s final two seasons are worth watching is that the episodes are just as funny and ambitious as anything that came before. “G.I. Jeff,” for example, tells a moving story about Jeff through the medium of some top-notch animation, and all the humor involving the old G.I. Joe cartoon is sure to keep any ‘80s kid worth their action figures laughing until the credits roll. Similarly, “App Development and Condiments” makes profound commentary on the modern obsession with social media, but it does so through laugh-out-loud scenes that remind you that Community is the most bonkers TV show ever made.

This was, of course, always the Community formula: showrunner Dan Harmon specialized in wrapping moving, often poignant stories in the form of episodes featuring unhinged characters and subversively meta humor. The show’s final two seasons keep this momentum up and prove the formula is still great with episodes like “Lawnmower Maintenance and Postnatal Care,” which pairs Britta’s story of rebellion against her helicopter parents with a tale of the Dean becoming obsessed with virtual reality (a gag that seems even funnier after the repeated failures of unpopular technology like Google Glass and Apple Vision Pro).

Escaping The Darkest Timeline

Even to the end, Community is great at subverting our expectations in the funniest possible way: “Queer Studies and Advanced Waxing,” for example, has the college’s bumbling Board inviting Dean Pelton to become a member because it will look good for them to have hired a gay man. Pelton struggles with this, though, because he identifies as far more than “gay” and doesn’t like the idea of being placed in such a restrictive box. Amid this thoughtful tale of queer exploration and inept school politicking, we get a B plot about Chang performing as Mr. Myagi along with a frighteningly catchy earworm of a song (“Gay Dean,” sung to the tune of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”).

Long story not very short: Community remains one of the best sitcoms ever made, and no show in modern television has managed to reach this show’s humorous heights. But I want this to be a PSA (or at least a very special edition of Troy and Abed in the Morning) that the show’s final two seasons are just as good as seasons 1-3, and if you left the series during the gas leak year, there’s still time to come back and watch the rest of the show. If you do so quickly enough, you’ll be just in time to enjoy the upcoming Community film, one which will fulfill the prophecy so frequently quoted by both Abed and the fandom: “six seasons and a movie!” 

Former NFL player Darron Lee allegedly turned to ChatGPT for advice the day before his girlfriend, Gabriella Perpétuo, was found dead in a rental home they shared in Tennessee, according to prosecutors.

Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp shared the unearthed messages that Lee, 31, was claimed to have written during a preliminary court hearing on Monday, March 9, speculating it was an attempt by the New York Jets’ former first-round pick to carry out the murder and not get caught.

“Don’t know what to do right now,” Lee allegedly wrote, per the Los Angeles Times. “Fiancée did her crazy thing again and now she’s messed up, I wake up and she has two swollen eyes (I didn’t do anything, self inflicted) she stabbed herself, slit her eye? Idk but she isn’t waking up or responding, what do I do?”

The generated response from ChatGPT stated, “Got it. Here’s exactly what [redacted] is the safest way to handle it without framing it as ‘police trouble.’”

Lee also apparently asked if someone who has slipped and fallen could suffer “puncture wounds.” (An autopsy conducted on Perpétuo, 29, determined that she suffered severe brain trauma, a broken neck, extensive bruising, large bite marks on her shoulder and thigh, stab wounds and significant facial injuries.)

Lead detective Brian Lockhart previously told the court there was blood found in nearly every room of the house except one. Investigators also discovered broken glass from the microwave in the kitchen, alcohol bottles scattered throughout the home and cleaning supplies.

Wamp brought forth the new evidence, claiming that Lee was using the AI chatbot as a “legal advisor” and had “dozens of conversations” over a two-day span.

Related: Cowboys’ Marshawn Kneeland Sent Goodbye Texts to Family Before Death: Report

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Dispatch audio painted a tragic picture of the final moments of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland’s life. Kneeland sent a group text to his family “saying goodbye,” according to audio obtained by TMZ Sports on Thursday, November 6.  “We’re talking to his girlfriend,” a 911 dispatcher said. “She’s trying to call his agent. We’re […]

“Mr. Lee was in a home with a female [who] was, for lack of a better term, beaten to death,” Wamp told the court last month while asking the judge overseeing the case to withhold the ex-linebacker’s bond. “And the explanation that he gave doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.”

Lee was ultimately denied bond and remains in custody on first-degree murder and evidence‑tampering charges. He has not yet entered a formal plea but denied wrongdoing when officers arrived at the scene.

“She wasn’t saying anything and that’s when I called 911 immediately, and I was like, ‘What is going on?’ … I was asleep for a long time,” Lee said in a video shown in court.

Perpétuo’s family has since filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against Lee and launched a GoFundMe to cover attorney fees, funeral and travel costs. As of March 10, $63,000 out of a $100,000 goal has been raised.

“Gabriella was a victim to domestic violence and abuse,” the description reads. “She is unfortunately no longer with us. She was residing in Tennessee when this happened and is currently still there. Her parents Monique and Nilson have traveled there to go and try to get her back home to Florida as soon as possible so family and friends can say their final goodbyes.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.

Sponsored content. Us Weekly receives compensation for this article as well as for purchases made when you click on a link and buy something below.

Spring is officially in the air, and there’s no better time to refresh your routine from head to toe. Whether you’re updating your skincare lineup, stocking up on grooming essentials or prepping for spring break travel, CVS is making it even easier to lean into a full self-care reset.

From March 15 through March 28, shoppers can earn over $100 in ExtraBucks Rewards on beauty and personal care products during CVS’s Spring Epic Beauty event. Savings are available through your ExtraCare card or the CVS Health app, making it simple to track and redeem rewards as you shop. That means you can refresh your favorites across cosmetics, hair care, skincare, sun care, shaving, oral care and more, while earning rewards to use on your next haul. To start earning, shop the event here.

A Whole-Body Approach to Beauty

At CVS, beauty goes beyond makeup bags and top shelves. It’s about whole-body care for everyone. Looking to boost hydration as temperatures rise? The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel is a lightweight moisturizer designed to deliver refreshing hydration, making it a seasonal staple. For targeted skincare, the Eucerin Radiant Tone Dark Spot Corrector Serum and Neutrogena Stubborn Acne Hydrocolloid Blemish Patches are easy additions to a streamlined routine.

In the shower, options like Aveeno Skin Relief Fragrance-Free Body Wash or Tree Hut Foaming Gel Body Wash in Vanilla help elevate everyday cleansing. Hair refresh? Try Mielle Pomegranate & Honey Leave-In Conditioner for added moisture or L’Oreal Paris EverPure Sulfate Free Iron Sleek Conditioner for smoother-looking strands.

Men exploring upgraded grooming routines can check out Harry’s Plus Metal Razor + 2 Refill Razor Blades or the Goodline Grooming Co. Men’s Precision 5-Blade Razor, along with Dr. Squatch Odor Squatching Deodorant Stick for daily freshness. It’s self-care that feels supportive, realistic and easy to maintain.

Your Seasonal Reset, Simplified

Spring is the perfect excuse to swap heavier winter products for lighter formulas and warm-weather essentials. Think fresh makeup shades like e.l.f. Glow Reviver Slipstick in Cherry on Top, Maybelline Cloudtopia Cheek and Lip Mousse in Divine Crimson or NYX Professional Makeup Jelly Job Lip Gloss in Cherry Jelly for a bright seasonal update.

For a quick glow-up, Revlon Photoready Instant Plump Serum Gloss adds shine, while essie Salon-Quality Nail Polish from the Glass Nails Collection delivers a polished finish perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or Easter celebrations.

Refreshing your routine can also mean stocking up on daily must-haves like Colgate Optic White Advanced Teeth Whitening Toothpaste or grabbing a can of Tresemme A-List Collection Workable Hairspray before spring events fill your calendar. Explore spring-ready must-haves and start earning rewards here.

Celebrate Every Occasion in March

March is packed with reasons to treat yourself. Planning watch parties for March Madness? Stock up on whole-body care essentials so you feel your best from tipoff to final buzzer. Feeling festive for St. Patrick’s Day? Play with bold green eye looks or fresh nail shades. Looking ahead to Easter? Beauty and personal care favorites also make thoughtful basket additions and seasonal gifts.

No matter the occasion, earning ExtraBucks Rewards on products you already use makes the celebration even better.

Don’t Forget ExtraCare

To maximize your savings, make sure you’re signed up for CVS ExtraCare, a free loyalty program designed to save you money and time through 2% back in rewards, personalized coupons and exclusive member sales. Members earn ExtraBucks on purchases and can get up to $50 annually for filling prescriptions.

Sign up or log in through your ExtraCare card or the CVS Health app, shop your beauty and personal care favorites, and watch the rewards add up. Join ExtraCare here.

Ready for your spring reset? Shop the Spring Epic Beauty event now and start earning over $100 in ExtraBucks Rewards before March 28.

By Robert Scucci
| Published 19 seconds ago

1978’s Laserblast is one of those movies that requires you to consult Wikipedia to fully understand what’s going on. Knowing this is important because if you don’t, you may start questioning your own intelligence while trying to make sense of the story it’s attempting to tell. Be kind to yourself, dear reader, because your brain is not broken. This movie is. But don’t let that assessment steer you away from streaming this punisher on Tubi because it’s a perfect B-movie featuring stop-motion aliens, incompetent police officers, and, as its title suggests, a lot of laser blasts.

For every wooden line of dialogue, there’s a pretty neat explosion. For every human interaction that plays like writers Frank Ray Perilli and Franne Schacht were aliens who just learned how humans behave and decided to make a movie about it, there’s some great stop-motion animation. It may be a stretch, but I’m convinced the main character, Billy Duncan (Kim Milford), was a huge fan of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, because his mannerisms when he goes into full rampage mode scream Leatherface.

Billy’s Revenge Arc, Or Whatever You Want To Call It

When Laserblast introduces us to Billy, we bear witness to a momma’s boy who doesn’t like being left alone. He’s in his 20s but still throws a tantrum about living rent free, and unsupervised, in a very nice house. He has a girlfriend named Kathy (Cheryl Smith), who’s also in her 20s and lives with her grandfather, Colonel Farely (Keenan Wynn). This complicates things for Billy because the Colonel doesn’t like him, meaning they have to hang out on the sneak.

One day while wandering through the desert, Billy finds a laser cannon and a strange amulet. Bored and curious, he affixes the cannon to his arm and learns it fires an explosive laser, but only if he wears the accompanying amulet he finds lying on the ground nearby. Once he realizes the scope of his power, he sets out on the war path, vowing to eliminate everybody who has ever wronged him.

If you’re wondering what kind of people have wronged Billy in Laserblast, get a load of this. He’s mad at Deputies Pete Ungar (Dennis Burkley) and Jesse Jeep (Barry Cutler) for giving him a speeding ticket. He was speeding. He’s also mad at some local boys named Chuck (Mike Bobenko) and Froggy (Eddie Deezen) for challenging him to a race he couldn’t participate in because his shaggin’ wagon wouldn’t start on time to compete.

Meanwhile, a group of aliens observe Billy’s actions from afar, speaking in an indecipherable language with no subtitles. The subtext suggests they want their laser back, so let’s just go with that.

You Need A Likeable Protagonist For This To Work

Billy is a total chode in Laserblast, which makes his entire revenge arc hard to sell. Most of the time he’s wandering around moping, and then when somebody breaks his balls he vows to kill them. He’s the kind of person who turns every perceived slight into a personal vendetta. It’s exhausting, and not exactly satisfying when he goes after the people who have allegedly wronged him because it’s just regular everyday stuff that sets him off.

His physical evolution, however, is the most perplexing aspect of Laserblast. The amulet he wears while firing the cannon causes a mysterious growth on his chest, which makes Dr. Mellon (Roddy McDowall) want to investigate further with the help of a government goon named Tony Craig (Gianni Russo). Already in full laserblast mode, it’s implied that Billy becomes more and more like the aliens he stole the device from the more he uses it, resulting in green skin and not much else.

He twists and turns with his laser blaster like Leatherface chasing a damsel in distress, but he lacks the physicality to keep these sequences from becoming unintentionally hilarious. If I sound like an expert on this one, it’s because I read the exhaustive breakdowns on both IMDb and Wikipedia. But if I’m being honest, those writeups give the movie way too much credit. In the movie itself, a bunch of stuff happens that seems vaguely connected, and then there are some rad little alien dudes (David W. Allen’s stop-motion efforts alone make this worth watching) who occasionally chatter , but we never truly know whether they’re good or bad.

As of this writing, Laserblast is streaming for free on Tubi. It’s best not to think too hard about this one and just let it happen to you. It’s amusing, but I’d hardly call it a movie. For what it is, though, it’s definitely entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but will likely never watch it again.