Category Archives: Apple TV +

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters S2 E6

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“Requiem”

I guess Skull Island is taking place at Jurassic Park now.

What was that opening scene meant to convey? It was a huge nothing. I guess there had not been many scenes between Kentaro and Hiroshi so the writers felt they needed something to show the audience. Or maybe they needed to throw a Kong cameo in to justify the name.

I don’t know how much more of this show I can take.

I did like how Kentaro ripped into Cate with her ridiculousness. The Cate character does the same thing every episode and it feels like they could just take her dialogue and copy it every scene.

What has been true about this show since day one is that the flashbacks are heads and shoulders above the present day material. That remains to be true. We follow Shaw in his reassignment and we come to meet his father. It didn’t make me feel much better when his father asked him why he was here, and he said was it a fight or fornication. Fornication? Who uses that word in their daily dialogue?

It was interesting to see how Lee’s flashback to his father was similar to the way Lee was thinking in the present. It is meant to show that Lee is not thinking clearly, but if he is on the opposite side of Cate then I am all down with it.

The Godzilla cameo in Kentaro’s dream was ridiculous. It was not as superficial as the Kong cameo, but it wasn’t much above it.

Then, as Lee was attempting to see if it was possible to open a rift to summon Godzilla to fight Titan X, something wonky happened and present day Lee started talking to young Lee on the walkie talkie.

Has the show added a time travel element to it? That ending was an interesting tidbit that maybe becomes something to help the show out. I have found this to be quite the sludge to get through each week, and I hope that the second half of the season would bring more to intrigue me than what it has done before.

Shrinking S3 E10

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“The Bodyguard of Sadness”

Woof. This one packed a punch.

It was graduation day for Alice and the emotions are all over the place for poor Jimmy, with his father departing for a deep sea fishing trip instead of attending graduation, Paul getting ready to move to Connecticut and the fact that Alice is graduating is really crushing Jimmy’s spirit.

Jason Segal gave one of his best performances of the series in this episode as he confronted Paul about a myriad of issues, some of which were directed toward Paul and others that were directed toward his own father. It was devastating to see Jimmy rip into Paul like he did, especially since a lot of the anger was actually directed to his father and his childhood trauma, the fact that everyone was leaving him, and that he was feeling alone.

Harrison Ford has been brilliant in this series, and this episode was no exception. He was so subtle throughout, but you could tell how much Jimmy’s attack affected him. He sat in his home, waiting for the car to take him to Connecticut, and you can see how much he was suffering from the rejection of Jimmy, who Paul had invited for a goodbye breakfast.

The line: “I get it now. I’m not as important to you as you are to me. I just feel stupid it took me that long to realize it. I’m just not that sensitive, Paul. I’ll survive” dropped by Jimmy was like a dagger and put in words they way that Jimmy was feeling.

This was the penultimate episode of season three, but man did it feel like a finale. Everyone was finding their path over the next several months, and Jimmy was there all on his own.

It makes me worried for Jimmy as his mental health seems to have taken a huge back step from the positive areas that it had reached since the loss of Tia.

One more episode of the season next week. The finale should be fire.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters S2 E5

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I just HATE Cate.

Yet again, her stupidity or selfishness has led to tragedy. This time, you could see it coming a mile away. Cate couldn’t though.

Her latest brain dead moment had her right in the path of Titan X for no reason.

I had seen a spoiler somewhere online that someone major was going to die in this episode and I so hoped it would be Cate, but I knew it wouldn’t be. I had my fingers crossed, but she continued to be the worst character on TV.

I want to point out that this is not a diss at the actor playing Cate, Anna Sawai. She is doing what she can and she has a lot of emotional moments. My complaints are how the character is constantly being written.

As soon as she was standing before the gigantic monster and Hiroshi noticed she was not with the crew, I knew who was going to be the tragic loss. In fact, earlier, when they were dealing with the fact that Hiroshi had found the letter Keiko wrote Lee, it reminded me of how things would be resolved on LOST and then that character would bite it.

I don’t know where this show goes next, but I am not a fan of the current path of this story.

Shrinking S3 E9

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“Daddy Issues”

There was a feeling of finality in this episode of Shrinking.

Paul convinces Gabby to come back to work and then offers her the practice once again. However, he did not call her out on ditching her dream of setting up a trauma center. Something that Liz came to yell at him about.

Paul kept talking about having one more week before his retirement and spoke about moving. That was not something I remember as a chance and I don’t know how I would feel about Shrinking without Harrison Ford. I am assuming that it is just storyline, but I am not sure.

Jeff Daniels returned as Jimmy’s father, bringing up plenty of conflict from Jimmy’s childhood. When Jimmy found out that his dad was not going to go to the actual graduation ceremony in order to go on a fishing trip, Jimmy was even more down than he was before.

Worse yet, when his father told Jimmy that he really liked Sofi, way more than Tia (who apparently always saw him in the same light as Jimmy did), Jimmy broke up with Sofi, and he did it in a very cold manner. I would not blame Sofi if, when he invariably comes begging back, she dismisses it and kicks him to the curb. Jimmy letting his daddy issues interfere with something that was potentially great is more immature than I thought Jimmy could be. You could see that his father’s presence was not bringing out the best side of him.

Sean got the job as a a sous chef. He hesitated to accept it because of his friendship with Jorge, who worked with him in the food truck, and would cost him that job. Jorge did not take the news well, but Sean did not react with animosity or anger as he would have before, showing his own growth with his mental health.

It was nice to see the softer side of Paul in this episode. I hope he is not leaving at the end of this season, which has only two more to go.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters S2 E4

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“Trespass”

Titan X is on its way to San Fran.

Everyone has ideas of what to do.

I found this episode very disappointing. They spent most of the time with the present day crew, which I dislike so much. Outside of Kurt Russell, there just is so little that interests me with them.

It did seem as if Cate was pulling her head out of her ass. If she can become less of a stupid character maybe I can stomach the present day more.

I guess the episode was just here to waste time as the doohickie that was stolen last episode is being retrieved. Feels like a waste of time.

It looked as if the big secret about Lee and Keiko might be revealed. Lee is clearly the real father of Hiroshi instead of Bill Randa.

I hope things pick up next week.

Shrinking S3 E8

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“Depression Diet”

Gaby has to face her own guilt, grief and emotions after Maya’s death. Maya overdosed and the question of whether she did it on purpose was making things tough for Gaby. She was withdrawing from her friends, from Derrick, but not from work. However, when she discovered something she did not know, she decided to take time off.

The episode was powerfully acted by Jessica Williams and she had some really strong scenes with Harrison Ford. The friendship of Paul and Gaby is one of the most original ones on TV and it shines with the writing of this show.

Jimmy has a new first date with Sofi that is not a family remembrance of Jimmy’s dead wife. It turned into a sudden therapy session with Sofi and her ex. It seems like Jimmy and Sofi are doomed to have awkward encounters… or maybe from that kiss at the end… maybe not.

The show also dealt with Brian and Charlie becoming more assertive when it comes to Liz. Of course, this actually came from Liz.

Another great Shrinking episode with some top notch performances as the main storylines continue to move forward. This is episode 8 out of what sounds like 11 for season three.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters S2 E3

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“Secrets”

Another week… another week where I can’t stand Cate.

She ended the episode looking at the broken Golden Gate Bridge and feeling all kinds of guilt over her releasing the Titan X that the world now knows about. Maybe she is planning on jumping off the bridge. It is terrible to say, but I think the show would benefit from it.

We get the scene we have been expecting in one of the flashbacks where Keiko and Lee made love after escaping from the natives on the island. Keiko felt guilty here too, but I think it probably will lead to Lee being the actual father of Hiroshi instead of Bill Randa.

Bill found a letter from Keiko to Lee at the end of this week’s episode which tells me that things are about to happen.

Lots of melodrama this week, which is the weakest part of this show. The flashbacks are still the strongest part of the show while the present day is just hardly interesting. Even now with a new Titan swimming around, the present day is not that good. Monarch sure feels like an incapable organization.

This show needed some more Titan action as the human drama is not cutting it.

Shrinking S3 E7

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“I Will Be Grape”

It is the birthday of Tia so Jimmy and Alice are celebrating in their own way. The whole group of characters are circling around, lending their help and support. Alice is very worried that her father will be alone and be completely lonely when she went to college.

Jimmy definitely showed how much he still missed his wife, as we see a sweet scene with them singing “A Thousand Years” and Tia messing up the lyrics to sing “I Will Be Grape.”

Alice called Louis to come to Tia’s grave so Jimmy can see how good his life has become. Alice tells Jimmy that he was the reason why Louis was able to move on, and she worried that Jimmy would never be able to move on.

New epic guest star this week. Shrinking has amazing actors in secondary and supporting roles, and Candace Bergen is here as Constance, Derek’s mother, who has had a very contemptuous relationship with Liz over the years.

I love Candace Bergen and having her on Shrinking is fabulous. What was even better was the all-too-short scene between Candace Bergen and Harrison Ford. What a wonderfully written moment and I loved every second of it.

Michael J. Fox also returned this week in a session with Paul.

Then, we get Cobie Smulders back as Sofie, who gets invited to the final sing-a-long with Jimmy and his whole family/friends at the celebration of Tia’s birthday. A little awkward, but fitting right in with the way Shrinking goes.

Then, it ends with a brutal thud as Gaby gets a phone call telling her that “We lost Maya.” I assumed that she died, as she did seem like she had made a decision at the end of last episode.

Strong episode again as this show is just so awesome. So many amazing actors with such excellent writing.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters S2 E2

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“Resonance”

It has gotten to the point where the little, creepy bug thingy that made its way onto the Monarch ship is chasing after Cate and I am cheering for the little bug creature.

I just can not stand Cate and every time she is on screen, I find her selfish and whiny. Everybody was trying to make her feel better about pushing the button last week, but she was still feeling guilty… she had a huge case of the “Whoa-Is-Mees” wondering around the ship. Every time she made some comment about it, I would yell at the screen, “BECAUSE IT IS YOUR FAULT!”

There is also an issue I have with the flashback section of the show, which is usually the best part of this show. The thing is that when Lee and Keiko is the cliffhanger at the end of the show where you are not sure whether they will survive, you know they are surviving. They exist in the future. Because of that, they should avoid placing them in these situations because there is no tension whether they will live. Of course, they will.

I liked the Kurt Russell parts of the show. He works very well with the weak Monarch group. The titan that escaped last week is on its way to do bad stuff… but it apparently wants the little bug thingy. Weird.

Not sure how much I liked this week’s episode. It was fine, but not as strong as last week’s. Cate is absolutely a black hole in the series for me.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters S2 E1

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“Cause and Effect”

When Monarch: Legacy of Monsters debuted on Apple TV + a few years back, the show was definitely hit and miss. Most of the misses came from the human characters in the present day.

It’s clear that those characters in the present day have not learned anything since season one.

Cate Randa showed off her selfishness and her stubbornness in the last half of this episode and wound up getting Natalia Verdugo, the Deputy Director of Monarch, killed by a new monstrous Titan that also escaped into the world when she opened a rift to retrieve Lee (Kurt Russell), who was stranded in the other world last season.

She would not listen to anyone else. She was going to do things her own way and to hell with any consequences. Well, Cate, you got an innocent woman killed. A woman who was just trying to get you and your foolish group to safety. She may be a bureaucrat, she may have different viewpoints, but she did not deserve to be swept away by some giant tentacle.

Cate really should be held accountable for Verdugo’s death. It was her fault.

The new Titan is going to be called Titan X and it sure looked as if Kong wasn’t happy Titan X was here.

Of course, Kong is supposed to be guarding the island, but he is too busy sleeping away in the middle of the afternoon.

Kong looked great in this episode. He was massive and the effects were movie-like. My memory of the first season was that everything did always look great, but the humans in the present day were just insufferable.

However, any time we spent time back in the 1950s, this show was so much better and it seemed as if that trend is going to continue. Wyatt Russell, Anders Holm and Mari Yamamoto appeared in the flashbacks and they were always smarter, more engaging and less likely to do something deftly stupid. This season looks to be the same way.

I was up and down with the first season. At least this year, the action was top notch. The question will be… can I stand the stupidity of Cate and her friends in the present? Will there be enough positives in the rest of the show to keep me from hating her?

Shrinking S3 E5

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“Hold Your Horsies”

Another funny episode of Shrinking dropped on Apple TV + this week.

Maybe the scene of the season so far was Jimmy and Brian singing the song, “The Confrontation” from Les Misérables as they were driving to pick up Paul’s daughter Meg. I had seen Jason Segal do this before with Neil Patrick Harris and it was tremendous. This was every bit as awesome, but I spent much of the time watching Harrison Ford reacting in the back seat. Paul’s comment at the end of their song, “Did you guys make that up?” nearly knocked me out of my chair.

We looked at the relationship between Derrick and Gabby as well as the relationship between Sean and Marisol.

I suppose it is more about the individuals in Gabby and Sean than it is in their relationships. They have wonderful significant others at the moment, but both are dealing with their own issues to overcome.

The episode ended with the surprising kiss between Meg and Jimmy, although, to be honest, it did not seem to be a surprise kiss to me. I saw some flickers between them, at least with Meg, earlier this year, that made me think that there might be something here.

Jimmy is struggling to move on, clearly. He wanted one uncomplicated kiss to help kick him into the next level, but, of course, that is not from Meg, who is like a sister to him and is the daughter of his best friend and mentor Paul. Maybe it was me, but it felt like Paul was pushing for Meg and Jimmy to go get the files together. Was he playing matchmaker? That does not seem like Paul, but that is how I took those scenes.

Shrinking continues to be one of the most entertaining shows of TV, with the best dialogue you will find anywhere. This talented cast never fails to fill the show with laughs as well as true feels.

Shrinking S3 E4

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“The Field”

The fourth episode of Shrinking aired this week with a focus in on Paul and his return to his job. He had been out from his therapy position because of some side effects from the Parkinson’s Disease, such as hallucinating Michael J. Fox.

Paul started to show progress and his doctor decided it was time for Paul to go back to work. He was excited about it, but he started to realize that it was time for him to retire. They had a great scene with Paul and Michael J. Fox, who apparently was a real person that Paul had previously met and was not a delusion in this moment.

Harrison Ford and Michael J. Fox was wonderful together as one would expect.

Derek accidentally took a bunch of his son’s drugs that he thought was candy and wound up in the hospital. Only Shrinking could make this as funny a they did. This episode featured Liz and her own issues about parenting, not only for the new baby that Brian adopted, but also her own kids, specifically Matthew. When she commented to Brian that she had raised an asshole, and Matthew was right there, it was crushing. Christa Miller has been a masterful supporting character actor for years, but this character is easily her crescendo.

Gaby takes Jimmy to her college class so he could speak to them, but she tossed that plan out to have Jimmy try and argue the benefits of his “Jimmyism” concept of his therapy. This was a fun.

A great episode that focuses on a couple of important characters.

Shrinking S3 E3

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“D-Day”

Damn, this is such a great show.

Brian and Charlie’s baby is born in this episode with some of the most beautiful moments you could imagine. I had a tear when they handed the baby to Paul at the end.

The heavy part of the episode dealt with the pregnancy, as Ava, the baby momma, went into labor. She had yet to sign adoption papers and it brought a serious conflict for Brian. His friends circled the wagon and brought some wonderful advise.

Paul passed Alice’s bench therapy along to Gaby, as he realized that he would not be there forever.

Sean reunited with his ex-girlfriend Marisol in another strong scene.

We met Jimmy’s father, played by the one and only Jeff Daniels. The conflict between Jimmy and his dad is clearly going to be investigated this season.

Shrinking S3 E1, E2

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“My Bad”

“Happiness Mission”

I was unaware that the first two episodes of Shrinking season three were already out on Apple TV +. When I was on Amazon Prime, I saw Shrinking with a “New Episode” tag on it and I looked to see two episodes were out already. I was excited because I enjoyed the first two seasons very much.

About halfway through the first episode, I realized how sensational the writing of this show is. The characters are so witty, funny, quick. I was laughing throughout the entire show. Everyone is so brilliantly written and developed that I am constantly amazed with the show.

Michael J. Fox appeared in the first episode as, what we would later find out, a delusion that Paul was seeing because of the Parkinson’s Disease. While it is supposed to be a bad thing, it was so awesome to see him and I think he and Harrison Ford worked so well together. Parkinson’s is truly a horrible disease, but it is great to see this show address it straight forward.

Paul and Julie wind up getting married in the first episode and it was just perfect Shrinking storytelling. Everything was so wonderful that even the old curmudgeon Paul seemed to enjoy himself.

There are so many excellent story arcs kicking off here including Jimmy trying to move along into a new relationship with Sofi (played by Cobie Smulders), Paul’s Parkinson’s, Alice’s going to college, Brian’s trouble with the baby mom and so on.

Brett Goldstein came back for episode two and it felt like his story came to a conclusion. He had a nice goodbye with Jimmy and Alice and he shared a powerful scene with Gaby.

This show does such an amazing job of feeling like real life while being unbelievably funny and poignant at the same time. Every actor on the show delivers their lines perfectly and the chemistry of the cast is off the charts. I am so happy Shrinking is back for season three and has officially been renewed for seaosn four on Apple TV +.

Pluribus S1 E9

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“La Chica o El Mundo”

It really feels as if Pluribus has only just started its season. It’s hard to believe that the show is already up to its first season finale already, but that is the case. Apple TV + dropped the finale a couple of days early (before Christmas).

And what a finale this was. In some ways, it was smaller, quieter than I might have expected. But then again…

There was an A-Bomb!

Carol and Manousos come face to face in this episode and some of the early scenes between these two were truly hilarious. I loved the use of the umbrella to block out the chance of the drones spying on them, reading their lips.

The mistrust between Carol and Manousos was on display as they tried to communicate via cell phone translation programs. There was some high comedy with that translation program as well. When the phone was in the sewer, but still translating, well, that was the height of funny.

Carol seemed to believe that Manousos had taken it too far with his “experimentation” on the Others. Carol’s close relationship with Zosia was coloring her perspective and she joined Zosia on another isolation attempt. This time, however, it seemed clear that Manousos was not going to fold like Carol did. He seemed like a type of guy who does not mind some isolation.

Carol never really understood the relationship she shared with Zosia. Carol looked at it like it was a typical, normal relationship, but that was not the case. Carol looked to be in denial about a lot of what was going down. When Carol learned that The Others had her frozen eggs (that Carol and Helen had decided to harvest years ago) and that they could change that into stem cells, the same stem cells the Others needed to turn Carol into another member of the hivemind, things crashed around her. Carol had Zosia return her to her home and decided to join with Manousos after all.

And the atomic bomb reveal at the end was insane. Maybe it was not literally an A-bomb… though Carol had asked about it earlier in the season…

Pluribus’s first season was sensational. I know the series has been renewed for a second season. I hope we do not have to wait three years to get the next episodes.