Category Archives: Apple TV +

Pluribus S1 E5

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“Got Milk”

We are up to episode five already of Pluribus on Apple TV +. I have to say that number surprised me. It is moving right along.

Carol finds herself completely alone as the others in her city left, needing time apart from her. I guess even the hive mind grew tired of Carol’s shenanigans.

However, they were still available for things that Carol needed, though she had to leave a message on an answering machine to get any response. Then, she would have service from a drone.

Carol was making videos to send to the other survivors, and she had them delivered (and transcribed in whatever language the other survivors may speak) by the hive mind. I find it funny that she could send videos specifically designed to bring down the hivemind and they would just deliver it, no questions asked. Perhaps the nicest invading force ever.

However, Carol had other troubles, including hungry coyotes. Carol made a discovery of what the Others drink… some substance mixed together and placed in milk cartons like are served in schools. She also broadcast this info out to the other survivors via drone delivery.

This led her to a warehouse where she found something that made her gasp… leaving us with a very epic cliffhanger… one that was extremely annoying because I don’t want to have to wait until next week to know what it was.

This was a fun episode, with a lot of funny moments while Carol showed her capabilities for this investigation.

Pluribus S1 E4

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“Please, Carol”

Carol goes on the offensive in an attempt to discover what chance she has on finding a way to reverse the Joining. She comes up with a plan to inject Zosia with a truth serum (via heroin) but Zosia goes into cardiac arrest, which is where the episode ended.

This gives Carol the start of her investigation into what exactly is going on with the earthlings and their new hive mind.

Carol lists the things she knows on the board:

  1. Eager to please—would give me A BOMB?!
  2. Can’t kill, not a fly
  3. Don’t play faves, like all jerks same
  4. ***Trying to change me!***
  5. Weirdly honest?

Very funny. A little creepy.

The cold open of the episode returned us to the phone call Carol made on the airplane to the man in Paraguay. His name is Manousos and we get the conversation from his POV this time. I figured that character would return to the show and he is back just a couple of episodes later. He is fairly bizarre as he was licking the lids of pet food cans for remnants of remaining food. The cold open was mostly dialogue free and was just wild. He wrote down Carol’s name at the end of the scene so he is clearly on his way, one way or another.

This was a fun episode, though Carol’s desperation really has placed Zosia in jeopardy a couple of times.

Pluribus S1 E3

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“Grenade”

This show is trippy.

Carol is trying to maintain herself, but with so much taken away, she is finding the way of life to be tough. She does not want the “convenience” of being able to ask for anything and have the Others provide it.

Like a live hand grenade.

Carol asked about how long she had before they turned her into a mindless drone too. Their response: they were not sure. They were working on it.

Carol did get on the phone with one of the non-English speaking survivors. There was a contemptuous conversation there that will clearly come back later in the series.

There was more humor in this episode than in the previous ones, but it felt like a pause between major events. The series has been renewed for a season two already, but Vince Gilligan believed he had a four season story, so things may be on the slow burn for awhile.

Pluribus S1 E1, E2

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“We is Us”

“Pirate Lady”

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it sure wasn’t this. I couldn’t believe what was happening.

Everybody in the world suddenly started spazzing out at the same time. Carol, one of the most miserable people in the world, was apparently immune, for some reason.

The entire planet, with the exception of 12 people, appeared to become of one mind, much like a hive mind. The transformation in episode one was creepy as can be.

Directed by Vince Gilligan who wrote, directed or produced episodes for The X-Files, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, this show is completely original and takes the idea of the dystopian future in a way that has never been seen before.

Apple TV + has been exceptional with the sci-fi genre. This is yet another fine option on the streamer. I have to say that these first two episodes have a great premise, some excellent execution of story and introduction of the characters with real issues.

Carol, an author, has a short fuse on her temper and that causes massive problems for the hive mind, which seems so far to be trying for nothing but happiness.

There are some conflicts in these two episodes that truly make you wonder what you would do if in their situations, but I do feel like something more is on its way. Gilligan has a history of complexities in his shows.

Good stuff so far.

Murderbot S1 E9, E10

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“All Systems Red”

“The Perimeter”

I loved this series. I did not expect to feel this way about this series. A sci-fi/action/comedy featuring a robot that goes rogue and becomes a murderer. And yet, I found this to be fully entertaining and I was enthralled with the entire series.

I will say that the final episode left me feeling sad as Sec Unit left the others, departing for a new adventure. I did not expect that to happen. Sec Unit choosing to leave behind the humans who he had done so much to protect and who had rescued him from being melted in acid.

I wonder if the group would have let Sec Unit put on his armor and resume his role as their bodyguard if he would have made a different decision.

Sec Unit got on a transport ship, posing as a servant bot and said that he did not want anyone telling him what he could do, even his favorite humans, meaning Mensah.

Murderbot has apparently been renewed for a second season and showrunner Chris Weitz suggested that the second season would be adapting the next three books. I have not read any of them, but I do hope that the cast that I have enjoyed so much this season would be able to join Alexander Skarsgård for season two. At first I was not much of a fan of David Dastmalchian’s Gurathin, but he did grow on me after he stopped being such an opposition to Sec Unit.

Could we get more The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon next season? That was a real fun little show-within-a-show example and I love seeing Clark Gregg anytime I can.

Murderbot is on Apple TV + and is definitely worth it for any sci-fi fan.

Stick S1 E10

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“Déjà Vu All Over Again”

I finished up the first season of Stick on Apple TV + tonight with the finale, entitled “Déjà Vu All Over Again.”

The episode featured the final day of the ReadySafe Invitational golf tourney with Santi right in the race to win. Last episode, we meet Santi’s father for the first time who showed up with all the right words for his son. We would find out that, unfortunately, little had changed.

I am going to say this about the season finale of Stick. It was extremely satisfying and I liked how things worked themselves out. However, the episode was really predictable. It followed my expectations really tightly. Yet, predictable is not always a bad thing. The episode worked narratively and the result was an enjoyable final show.

Owen Wilson is a charming and engaging actor and he does a fantastic job in this show. he had great chemistry with Peter Dager, who played Santi. Their relationship was very real and went through a lot of different stages during the ten episode season. I believed everything that happened and I felt badly for Pryce when Santi asked him to step aside so his father could caddy for him. It was clear that the choice would turn out poorly, but Pryce allowed the kid the chance to find out for himself. Then, Pryce came back and helped Santi reclaim his mindset, giving him a chance to make an unbelievable shot, even in defeat.

I wonder if this is a series that will continue into a second season. I am not sure where the story will go, unless the hints at the end of Pryce getting back into shape and rejoining the tour is where they will go. No matter what, this first season was excellent and definitely worth the watch.

Murderbot S1 E6, E7, E8

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Murderbot is my new favorite program on Apple TV +.

I watched three episodes and I really wanted to keep watching, but I needed to pause and move along. There are two episodes left in this season and I will finish it off later this week or this weekend.

All the secrets are out. Sec Unit’s past came out as he was hooked up to Gurathin as they were operating on his leg. Gurathin had been shot in the leg by Leebeebee. Leebeebee was holding the crew hostage until she got what she wanted. As soon as Sec Unit returned with Mensah (after a scene where Mensah cut open Sec Unit’s spine to retrieve some wiring to fix their ship… it was tense for sure), Sec Unit blew Leebeebee’s head off.

That made the others a bit touchy, to say the least.

I still find the inner dialogue from Sec Unit to be hilarious. He provides questions that he does not understand from human behavior and, more often than not, he was right.

Everyone is still very much on edge with Sec Unit as they are unsure about his motives. When they all joined in to fight the other sec unit that arrived (after the two giant monsters had sex on top of the hopper, leaving an egg sac… weird, I know), it was clear that they were not going to be helpful in any way. Sec Unit had to fight despite them.

This is a fast watch and I really enjoy this show.

Stick S1 E5, E6, E7, E8, E9

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So I wanted to catch up on Stick, which is on Apple TV + and has episodes dropping on Wednesdays. I do believe the final episode of the season is this week, so I had five episodes to run through in order to get caught up.

Stick is such a great show and it is a easy watch as the episodes run around 30 minutes. It is also very well-written and compelling in a sport that does not truly entice me much.

Much like the F1: The Movie and auto racing, a film/show can be entertaining and engaging if it is intelligent and well-written, acted and smartly plotted out even if I am not a fan of the sport involved. I am not a fan of golf, but Stick is far more than just about golf.

The story of Pryce trying to help Santi to become the best he could be in the world of golf took a lot of turns, some that very not necessarily positive, but everything worked well.

That is, until Santi’s father showed up at the end of episode nine. That feels like one more major hurdle for the characters to overcome.

Some other cool highlights of the five episodes include:

  • The truth with Zero and Pryce’s deal coming out rocked Santi’s world. We knew that was going to happen when it first happened.
  • Santi and Zero have sex. This was surprising… especially with Santi looking for advice from Pryce. I really thought Pryce was going to respond differently and I liked the uncommon response he had.
  • Timothy Olyphant is always a welcome actor in any show I am watching.
  • Mitts and Elena’s relationship comes around. I like them together.
  • We get more with Pryce and his dead son. The dream of Pryce with his son, Jett, was really hard to watch.
  • The whole scam to try and get Santi into a pro PGA tournament was strange, but cool.

There was a lot of enjoyment in these episodes and I have grown to like these characters.

Smoke S1 E3

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Okay, I watched the next episode of the new drama on Apple TV + called Smoke with Taron Egerton. Last episode dropped a big bomb at the end of the show and I kind of expected more from this episode than what I got. Maybe something to explain why I saw what I saw, but that really did not happen.

We got more into the character of Detective Calderone and more about Freddy and his interview to be a manager.

A car got firebombed… seemingly by Dave?

Honestly, this was a slow burn (excuse the pun) episode that did not appeal too much to me. There was something with Michelle going to testify against her mother’s release from prison. It seemed as if the mother is the one who set the fire that Michelle had been caught in as a child. I’m not sure if we had known that before.

I was hoping for more from this show, but I do like the character development going on and I hope the big reveal last episode gets some more attention moving forward.

Murderbot S1 E3, E4, E5

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“Risk Assessment”

“Escape Velocity Protocol”

“Rogue War Tracker Infinite”

Okay, I love this show.

Five episodes in and I am fully in.

Sec Unit, played by Alexander Skarsgård, gives me Dexter feels. As he is narrating the show with his inner monologue, it gave me distinct “Dark Passenger” ideas as many of the internal dialogue revealed the true thoughts of the rogue unit.

I am glad that the fact that Sec Unit was rogue was revealed and did not continue to be a cover up. He revealed it in a heroic manner by trying to kill itself before he was taken over by the implant that was inserted into his head by another Sec Unit. Having the crew help remove the implant was a cool trick and surprised Sec Unit.

I hope they give Sec Unit another name soon, because I don’t like typing “Sec Unit” all the time.

It was hilarious when Ratthi tested Sec Bot’s knowledge of Sanctuary Moon to see if Sec Unit had been using the show to transmit secret messages as Gurathin believed. It was a very geeky solution.

The arrival of Leebeebee (Anna Konkle) is someone whom I absolutely do not trust. There are just too many side-eyes given by this character for me to believe that she was just o the “laundry” of the other survey team. There is more to this character than we know yet.

These episodes, at least four and five, have been ending with a great cliffhanger that make me want to continue on in the binge. I am trying to keep from watching the final five episodes of the first season, as I have some of the other shows that I want to get in too.

I am loving Murderbot so far. I think Alexander Skarsgård has been sensational so far and I do love the relationship between the Sec Bot and Ayda Mensah. Mensah is one of my favorite characters on the show so far. She is such a great person and a leader who will not just choose the easy choice, even if Sec Bot thinks it is a mistake.

This has been awesome so far and I can’t wait to see Murderbot continue.

Stick S1 E3, E4

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“Daddy Issues”

“Zero Sum Game”

Episodes three and four of Apple TV’s new series, Stick, starring Owen Wilson were really great. I have to say though I am a little disappointed with Pryce and his weaknesses that are coming through. He does feel manipulative in his involvement with Santi and he is clearly also a problem with betting. These will both come back to haunt him later in the season, I am sure.

I do like the first few steps between Mitts and Elena. The whole “Mitts is trapped beneath the bed” part of episode three was fun and was a good way to learn about who these characters are.

We learned specifically what happened to Pryce’s son as Mitts told Elena about it after she had made an off-hand comment about Pryce not knowing about kids because he doesn’t have any. The little boy died at 4 from cancer, which is way too horrible to even think about. Elena immediately made the connection between the loss of his son and the meltdown Pryce had on the golf course that ruined his career. I had inferred this as well, but knowing the details make it even more painful and allow us to understand where Pryce is coming from.

We are introduced to Zero, played by Lilli Kay. I had seen her on the IMDB page and I did not know who she was, but she has been added as a “love interest” for Santi. Not sure I loved this character at this point, as she was portrayed as a far left idealist with big words for the society around them.

I did not think that the deal made by Zero and Pryce was a good idea. It will absolutely explode on them later in the season. Why they don’t just stick to the truth? It is such a better choice.

Stick has been solid so far and I am looking forward to see these seeds that the show is planting grow as the season progresses.

Murderbot S1 E1, E2

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“FreeCommerce”

“Eye Contact”

The third new series for me to watch was also on Apple TV +. It is a sci-fi/action/comedy based on a book series called Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, specifically the first book of that series called All Systems Red.

After the first two episodes, I love this series.

What a great concept. Alexander Skarsgård played our title character, Murderbot. It was a construct designed from cloned human tissue and mechanical parts, and it was controlled by humans. However, this robot was able to gain his own thoughts and went “rogue.” It gave itself the name Murderbot.

Murderbot was purchased by a crew from the Preservation Alliance as a Sec Bot for their science mission to another planet. The company insisted that the crew had a Sec Bot, despite the crew not feeling the need for one. Team leader,  Ayda Mensah, was very much nervous around any kind of “killing machine” as she put it.

The story is told through the POV of the Sec Bot as an internal monologue tells us what he thinks about the humans… which was never anything positive. His snarky inner voice was one of the funnier parts of the show.

I am a fan of David Dastmalchian, who is a member of the crew, and the one most suspicious about the behavior being displayed by the Sec Bot (aka Murderbot).

Murderbot has a favorite TV show too, which is a sci-fi (Star Trek type) show that we get glimpses of called The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon. This was an absolute blast as we see John Cho playing one of the characters on the show within a show. Clark Gregg was also there as was Jack McBrayer and DeWanda Wise. This felt very much like GalaxyQuest with this TV show that Murderbot enjoyed watching.

There is a neat mystery involving the planet that they are on as well and I am finding this to be a fantastic start to the series.

As I did not read the book series this was based upon, I am very engaged with the show and I am not sure what way it will go. I feel very nervous with the uncertainty of the Murderbot’s inner thoughts. “Stupid humans.”

Smoke S1 E1, E2

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“Pilot”

“Your Happy Makes Me Sad”

Since I currently do not have any active TV shows going, and having finished off the X-Files recently, I started to look for some new programs to watch. Yes, I am doing the season binges of What We Do in the Shadows, but I needed something to spread out over a few weeks to a month. I have started Stick on Apple TV, which was great. I then started another Apple TV + show called Smoke.

Apple TV + has had some great shows such as Ted Lasso, Shrinking, Silo, The Studio and Dark Matter. There have been a bunch of Apple TV + shows that I have not watched, but are fairly well liked.

Smoke caught my attention from the show synopsis: “When an arson investigator begrudgingly teams up with a police detective, their race to stop two arsonists ignites a twisted game of secrets and suspicions.”- from Apple TV + website.

I will say that after the pilot episode of the show, I was not sure how I felt about it. It was a slow burn for sure and I was just not sure if I was engaged enough to commit to it. However, by the end of the second episode, I was fully in. This show is currently active, with, I believe 5 episodes out. A new episode comes out on Fridays, so it would be nice to get caught up before the next episode is released.

Taron Egerton starred as the arson investigator who has his share of troubles and he is working with former marine and current police detective Michelle Calderon (Jurnee Smollett). Egerton is excellent so far in the show and the two leads have great chemistry. Egerton was probably the main reason why I kept going after episode one.

I do like the mystery aspect of this show, even though it seems that one of the arsonists is not much of a mystery. The second one has a massive reveal at the end of the second episode that makes me wonder what exactly was going on.

Stick S1 E1, E2

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“Pilot”

“Grossweiner’s Law”

Owen Wilson starred in a new series on Apple TV + called Stick and it had been on my radar recently. With my TV shows currently lacking, I decided to get a few new ones to watch over the next few weeks or so. Stick was the first one to try.

I really love Owen Wilson. Well, to be fair, I was not that familiar with Wilson until he took on the role as Mobius on Loki, Owen Wilson has been one of my favorite actors. And after watching the first two episodes of this series, you can tell that he has found another awesome role to play.

There is an absolute feel to this series, and, although it is early, I can say that the show Stick gave me Ted Lasso vibes. I really enjoyed the first two episodes. Owen Wilson is utterly charming in the role, again making a comparison to Jason Sudeikis’s Ted Lasso.

The plot is Owen Wilson played Pryce Cahill, a former pro golfer who had a meltdown on a course and sent his life spiraling into chaos. The show has not specifically told us what caused the meltdown, but it certainly implied heavily and I feel as if I have a clear idea of what happened without even going into specifics.

Pryce is on the course to give gold lessons when he hears a 17-year old boy driving the golf ball on the driving range. Pryce was unbelievably impressed with the boy’s swing and tries to convince the boy to allow Pryce to take him on the circuit.

The Boy, Santi, had that natural swing that told Pryce that he was special. Santi was not excited about it and worried that Pryce was simply a stalker. Pryce went to see Santi’s mother, Elena (Mariana Treviño) and tried to convince her to let him take Santi on the road.

The show also featured Marc Maron, as Pryce’s friend ad former caddie, and Judy Greer as Pryce’s ex-wife Amber-Lynn.

I really liked the set up of these characters. There are life details that we will be learning as the show progresses that will make these characters deep and well developed. There is something that happened with Santi’s father. Something happened to Pryce and Amber-Lynn’s child. I’m excited to see more of this show.

The Studio S1 E10

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“The Presentation”

Movies! Movies! Movies! Movies! Movies!

The first season of The Studio came to a rousing conclusion as the Continental Studios presentation at Cinemacon arrived with the participants all messed up from ‘shroom and drugs. In a high pressure presentation that could determine whether or not the studio is sold to Amazon, costing everyone their jobs.

All the chaotic events from last week’s part one paid off perfectly. This was a tremendous conclusion to the first season as Matt struggled to sober up his presenters before they lose everything.

This was hilarious and just so well written. I wanted to see every one of the films that Continental Studios presented at this event. I know that they are not real but they are absolutely compelling and the way the guest stars presented the slate went so great.

After a season of seeing Matt blundering his way through his new job, seeing an ultimate triumph made me really happy.

A great first season. I hope there is more coming on Apple TV + in the future.