Paradise S1 E6

Spoilers

“You Asked For Miracles”

I love Die Hard so much.

Using it as flavor for this episode was such a great idea.

Paradise is such an incredible show. I never expected this being as amazing as it is.

Xavier is leading the charge against Sinatra. He has everything planned out perfectly, knowing what she would do at each step. It led to a dramatic showdown at the episode’s end between them, and something that Xavier did not see coming.

His wife is alive?

Xavier also does not know that his daughter Presley is not safe and secure. She is in the custody of Jane. Presley did not know that Jane was someone not to trust.

Xavier has all the guns. Things are really coming together.

Yippee Ki-Yay, Mfer.

Paradise S1 E5

Spoilers

“In the Palaces of Crowned Kings”

What an intense episode. I love this show so far.

Paradise dropped its fifth episode on Hulu last night and I watched it this night, and it is just exceptional. Just when you think everything is clearing up, the show twists away from the story and takes the tale in a different direction.

Lots of flashbacks in this episode back to prior to Cal’s death, including a potential motive for the death of the president. We see his relationship with his son Jeremy and his father Kane Bradford. Gerald McRaney is fantastic as the president’s father, slowly succumbing to dementia of some form. His mistaking Jeremy for Cal lead to some powerful moments… including a huge WTF moment when it seemed as if Xavier’s daughter Presley was involved in everything.

I did not see that one coming.

Nor did I see the big cliffhanger… a message across the “sky”- THEY’RE LYING TO YOU.

That is because there is the possibility that there were survivors above ground. We know now that this is the reason “Sinatra” sent Billy Pace to the surface to kill the group of investigators.

I am not sure how many more episodes there are for Paradise, but I will be here for them moving forward. I even have a hope for a season two, especially with the possibility of survivors from above.

Paradise S1 E4

Spoilers

“Agent Billy Pace”

Okay, I am officially in.

I may have still been slightly uncertain about this show after the first three episodes, but after the fourth episode, I am all in. I thought this was easily the best episode of this show that I have seen yet, and it was also the one that crushed me.

This episode featured Billy Pace, with a look at his background, and it was tremendously engaging. He had a dark past and the episode played with the uncertainty that he was the reason the president was killed. As it moved on, it became clear that Billy Pace was a bad guy who had found his friend and family with Xavier and his kids. By the end of the episode, I was in love with this character.

And then the show killed him off.

Man, that scene where he is poisoned by Jane on the orders of Sinatra. Then there was a scene with Sinatra and Billy that was just tense and anxious, which is what led to his death. I know I was nervous about Billy the rest of the film at that point and I thought he had made it when he got home. Then, the rugged gets pulled out from under me.

The death of Billy Pace was a kick in the gut. I would not have guessed that his death would have meant anything to me, but it has been awhile since I have felt this upset over a character death.

By the way, the mystery of the surface world is another cool thing and having Billy kill the people doing the investigation was a rough truth that caught me off guard. I am looking forward to seeing how everything ties together.

The music was by Poison this episode… Every Rose Has Its Thorn. Was the band’s name a hint?

I am fully in on this show now, at I guess, the halfway mark. You can watch Paradise on Hulu or Disney +.

Paradise S1 E1. E2, E3

Spoilers

“Wildcat is Down”

“Sinatra”

“The Architect of Social Well-Being”

I gave the new Hulu series Paradise a chance. It starred Sterling K. Brown, James Marsden and Julianne Nicholson. The first three episodes dropped on Hulu and Disney + earlier this week.

This political thriller/sci-fi show was very entertaining and was a very intriguing mystery.

It kicked off with an unexpected twist. One of the main actors is murdered within the first part of the movie. The narrative is told in both present day and flashbacks, which really helps to establish background of characters and helped to build characters.

Brown and Marsden had great onscreen chemistry. Their scenes together were some of the best of the show. The writing was solid, providing little details of what was going on as the episodes progressed. The reveal at the end of the first episode, that the world had come to an end but the President and the surviving people live in an underground cavern, dug into a mountain.

I liked the whodunnit style of this with the flashbacks giving us a chance to see important moments instead of just hearing about them. I enjoyed Sterling K. Brown’s scenes with his character’s father. Looking forward to the rest of this series being released on Hulu for the next five episodes.

Grotesquerie S1 E10

Spoilers

“I Think I’m Dead”

What?

This is a season finale. Yet was it a satisfying resolution to the first season story? Absolutely not. I have to say that the ending of this season is just disappointing and a disjointed mess.

The ending does not give us any answers. It does not even hint at them. The first half of the episode was going along with Marshall, and he winds up at a strange anti-woke, anti-women meeting where there were some nastiness implied. What was any of this about? Is it indicating that this group has something to do with the Grotesquerie murders? All the male characters of the show appeared in this meeting, including some of the most important ones. Still, it was anything but clear.

The episode started to get interesting when Lois was in the mental institution and was claiming that she believed that she had died and that this was the Otherworld. Or maybe she was still in the coma. These were some intriguing ideas that I may have bought into, because I stated after last week’s penultimate episode, I really felt as if the world was imaginary. However, this idea was tossed aside quickly and does not seem to be explored any further after Megan arrived to see Lois.

Megan took Lois to another crime scene where a bunch of people were killed, including Charlie the doctor. Lois says she knows who this is, and left to go to her old office and wait for the evidence to be bagged up.

And that was the end of the season.

Really?

This show was so very odd and bounced around potential concepts, changing gears midseason dramatically. This show never felt right since that massive switch. I was willing to give it a chance, but it all still feels too surreal.

I do not mind having mysteries unsolved, as long as I think that those mysteries make sense. These do not. This was a weak ending to a show that had some solid moments and a strong performance from Niecy Nash-Betts.

Only Murders in the Building S4 E10

Spoilers

“My Best Friend’s Wedding”

Season four of Only Murders in the Building came to a conclusion last night on Hulu as episode 10 dropped. We had seen the killer last week, so this week was what and how it happened.

The killer was revealed to be Sazz’s protégé, Rex Bailey, who is now going by the name Marshall, the writer on the movie. However, we learn officially that he stole Sazz’s script for the Only Murders movie and that he wound up killing Sazz when she discovered that he had done that.

I kind of assumed that Sazz would wind up being the actual target instead of Charles when he said a few episodes ago that if Sazz died because of him and the podcast, he would never forgive himself. So I was fairly confident that Charles was not the real target. Even when they made it look like the killer was stalking the who crew with those text messages of “I’m Watching you” I had a feeling that Sazz was the true target.

Those text messages and the cameras that had been planted was not referred to in the finale, and I feel like that is a plot hole. It may not be a major thing, but it does bother me a bit. That is, unless this is another hint for a future story. If so, that would be awesome!

They figured out how Marshall made it from Dudenoff’s apartment to Charles’s apartment to get rid of Sazz’s body. As a former stunt man, he climbed out the window and went around the ledge to Charles’s place and he discovered that Sazz was not yet dead, and he watched her die. Cold.

The scene of Oliver and Charles going on the ledge from Fish’s place to get into Dudenoff’s apartment to save Mabel was fantastic! The chemistry between Steve Martin and Martin Short is really felt here. The merengue part was laugh out loud funny.

It was also funny how Charles and Oliver started talking about how they always get another murder right when they solve the case they were working on, and Oliver immediately thought that Loretta was in danger and would be the next victim. I actually thought that was a possibility too and when they started breaking the fourth wall, in sense, making a joke about the new victim, I thought that was cool.

That told me that Loretta was going to be okay. So when we found out that she was heading with her show to New Zealand, Meryl Streep’s absences in the future of the series is explained. They keep Oliver with Charles and Mabel too.

The wedding was very nice. Very romantic. Of course, we do get anther body eventually. Lester the doorman was dead in the fountain in the Arconia. Ready to go for season five.

I do love this show. Charles, Oliver and Mabel are awesome characters and they work so well together. I am very pleased that there is a fifth season on its way in the future.

Grotesquerie S1 E9

Spoilers

“Episode 9”

An intense episode that, once again, really throws my understanding of what is going on into a confused state… and I loved that.

It felt as if Lois was on a crusade to put things to rest before she moved down to Florida. She saw Marshall and gave him divorce papers (and he was downright cruel at this point), she saw her daughter for one final slap, and she continued dream therapy.

It was here where things started to go weird once more. It was suggested that Lois’s dream, specifically about the Burnside family, which had no connection to her own life, was Lois seeing the future.

Of course, Megan was arriving at a murder scene exactly like the Burnside murder in reality. Right down to the mystery contents of the boiling pot on the stove, which feels as if it is a secret that we will be getting in the finale.

Reality? Hm, I wonder.

When Lois met Megan at the hotel, Lois had her cut her arm so she could see her blood. That was supposed to be how Lois proved to herself that this was real… and then the most surreal thing happened, with Megan’s abusive boyfriend showing up and attacking her. Lois held a gun on him but he did not stop. He tormented Lois about being the dream woman and that she knew she couldn’t kill him. He went so far as to put the barrel of the gun Lois held into his own mouth.

And then she shot him.

That was an awesome moment. A-hole got what he deserved. However, I worry for Lois.

Still, I am not convinced that everything here is real life. The background TVs kept talking about the fires that were spreading, much like the final sections of Lois’s dreams, and I feel there may be something “biblical” going down.

Grotesquerie S1 E8

Spoilers

“Episode 8”

With the World Series kicking off tonight, I did not have the chance to watch both episodes of Grotesquerie tonight. So I decide just to watch episode 8 and I will catch up with number nine this weekend before the season finale next week.

We start into the new world time when Lois awakes from her coma and has to deal with this dream that she remembers everything about. Apparently, she also spoke to the doctor about everything in the dream, something that she does not remember doing.

It seems like everyone that Lois cast in a different role in her dream knows about it and seems to resent her for it. Lois does consistently say that she can’t be blamed for her subconscious, but I am not sure she believes it.

I’m not 100% sure things are as they seem yet. There is a dream-like state to this part of the story and I would not be surprised if the last two episodes make yet another switch.

Only Murders in the Building S4 E9

Spoilers

“Escape from Planet Klongo”

After a down week for me last week, Only Murders in the Building had its penultimate episode of season four with an episode that included all of the best things that Only Murders does.

“Escape from Planet Klongo” gave us the following:

  • One of the classic Oliver and Charles arguments – this time over a Bachelor Party .
  • We got another murder- Glen Stubbins (this is the second… maybe even the third time Paul Rudd has been murdered on this show).
  • Only one major cameo – Ron Howard! Ron Howard was sensational here with Martin Short. Ron-Ron. Hilarious.
  • Project Ronkonkoma became the key point for the mystery. A movie directed by Ron Howard and one that Sazz’s protege messed up badly.
  • W.A.N.S: Whiskey, A-List Celebrities, Naughty Secret!
  • A wonderful interaction with Oliver and Charles that showed their friendship.
  • Charles and Oliver wind up as background actors as aliens- in mo-cap suits
  • A script discovered about Only Murders in the Building-The Movie, by Sazz Pataki.

And most importantly, we had a reveal. We discovered who the killer was thanks to a flashback from Ron Howard. It was Marshall, the writer of the movie. He also killed Glen Stubbins with a pillow, and he wound up alone in the apartment with Mabel.

Everything makes a lot of sense for Marshall, especially with how they showed us what happened with Sazz on Project Ronkonkoma. Sazz was writing a script that Marshall wanted to write. Then, Glen replaced him on the movie and he must have been the actual intended victim when the group of Olivers were shot a few weeks ago.

The cameras in the place must have been planted to figure out what Oliver, Charles and Mabel were like as characters. I’m not sure about the whole plot holes bit or the text messages, but I’m sure that will fall into place next week in the finale.

The limited use of cameos is in stark opposition from last week which was cameo overload. And… who knew that when you are around Ron Howard, you should never mention the fishin’ hole (from Andy Griffith). What could have happened at the fishin’ hole?

One more episode which should include a wedding (if they pull it off).

Great episode.

Grotesquerie S1 E7

Spoilers

“Unplugged”

WTF?

I mean… WTF?

This episode started off with Lois being just a totally vicious bitch toward her daughter and her new fiancé, Travis Kelce. She was so cruel that I found myself hating her so much. Then she pulled the plug on Marshall. Then we found out that Father Charlie was Grotesquerie and that Sister Megan was his accomplice. Megan got into a massive fight with Lois, where she stabbed her multiple times.

Then things changed.

Lois is in the coma. Marshall is alive and in the Lois role from the beginning. Lois had been the one having the affair. Sister Megan was the police chief. Marshall decided to pull the plug on Lois. Travis Kelce wanted to say goodbye, but Marshall wanted no part of that, keeping him from the room. When they pulled the plug, Lois floated up and seemed to get her heartbeat back.

What the hell is going on?

Is this show implying that Lois has been in the coma the whole time and the first six episodes were all in her head? I think that is what is going on here.

Does that mean that everything prior to Lois waking up from her coma in this episode means nothing?

That is a massive sized twist if that is the case. It is also extremely confusing in this episode. Where does this story go from here? Is this a totally different story than the one we have been watching?

Only one episode released this week, but it was nearly an hour long, and it was totally insane. I am not sure what happened or where it goes from here. There are three more episodes remaining.

Only Murders in the Building S4 E8

Spoilers

“Lifeboat”

We basically cleared the Westies this week. Honestly, I was not as enthralled with this episode as I have been with every other this season.

It just felt too much. There was out regular cast, pus the actors, plus the Westies and flashbacks with Milton Dudenoff as well. Plus, we got to meet Helga and see her back story. The entire Dudenoff story is resolved, as we discover that he was dying and took a handful of pills, talking the Westies into putting him into the incinerator.

So no murder of Dudenoff, but Sazz is still a question. The show hinted at a new suspect this week, Paul Rudd’s Glen Stubbins. I do not believe for one second that he is not just another red herring. The main reason is this killer, who has been stalking and taunting them, feels way more sinister than Glen ever felt. Could he have been playing? Maybe. Except, wasn’t he in the hospital when the last text message came through?

There are so many pieces pulling the focus away from Oliver, Charles and Mabel. I would want to see more about them than seeing all of these other characters.

I have loved this season so much until this episode so I am sure that things will pick up once again with just two more to go.

Grotesquerie E5, E6

Spoilers

“Red Haze”

“Good Caesarean Work”

Okay, this week was completely bat shit crazy.

Lois and Sister Megan wound up in a little town, being chased by someone/something. The town itself is absolute horror show of violence. All the women appear to have been assaulted, perhaps even as the day moves along. Sister Megan ends up shot. It was all surreal.

My guess is that the smoke from the pit they were at last episode had some kind of reactive property causing everyone to be angry and violent. It sure seemed as if Lois and Sister Megan were being affected too as they were very sharp and biting toward each other during this wild time in this little town.

The show also revealed a couple of secrets, including a connection between Nurse Redd and Marshall. It explained why she was so crazed about Lois turning over power of attorney for Marshall to her. Honestly, Nurse Redd is just as unbalanced as anyone on this show.

The serial killer Grotesquerie was the one to shoot Sister Megan as he followed them throughout the opening scene. He took Andrea, the bloody woman Lois and Sister Megan picked up at the end of episode four. She also seemed to be an identical twin to the clerk at the hotel they stopped at who appeared to be constantly being beaten.

Father Charlie made a return to the side of Sister Megan’s bed and immediately chastised Lois for her use of her as bait.

This led to a horrific series of scenes involving women who had forced c-sections and were allowed to then bleed to death. The babies were being taken for some bizarre reason. The scene at the end of episode six where there were a group of women who were hooked up to breast pumps feeding these babies is horrendous.

Then the show left us on a cliffhanger, just a remarkably cruel and hateful one. A masked figure snuck up behind Lois with a knife and she turned and shot him. It is clearly intended to be Grotesquerie and Lois pulled off the mask from his face. We as an audience did not get to see the face in the terrible end. I felt very upset about having this mask pulling scene being done so we could not get the reveal and would have to come back next week.

Two episodes each week means that the show will end on Halloween, which is very appropriate.

Only Murders in the Building S4 E7

Spoilers

“Valley of the Dolls”

A week full of cameos!

We got a new character from Melissa McCarthy, the actors (Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, Eva Longoria) returned, the Westies were back, Loretta made her way back from California, and Bev struggled to deal with Hollywood and her own bizarre shifts in personality.

Melissa McCarthy is Charles’s sister Doreen, who owns a vast collection of dolls (hence the episode title) and she, lets say, may be a touch cray cray.

We get a catfight between Melissa McCarthy and Meryl Streep. It was hilarious.

Charles, Mabel and Oliver went to Charles’ sister’s house to hide after discovering that they had been being watched by the killer for a long time. Of course, they told Howard where they were going so it seemed as if everyone knew where they went.

Howard played a big role too as he went to discover whom was cashing the social security checks of Dudenoff. He also got a phone number that, when Mabel called it, came to Vince Fish’s phone.

Oliver and Loretta straightened out their misunderstanding from the previous episode and Loretta, after the big catfight, proposed to Oliver (with a doll bracelet). He accepted so there could be a Only Murders in the Building wedding in the future.

It is revealed that the killer has ties to the first season as several of the plot holes of that season are mentioned, tying everything together in a cool idea.

Grotesquerie E3, E4

Spoilers

“Episode 3”

“Coordinates”

Lois is really going through it.

Each week it seems as if they release two episodes of Grotesquerie and these two episodes send Lois through the wringer. The focus on her alcoholism and her relationships with her daughter, her husband, and a new man from the hospital named Eddie (Travis Kelce).

And this killer appears to be taunting her with each new kill.

I just realized that Father Charlie was played by Nicolas Alexander Chavez, who played Spencer Cassadine on General Hospital recently. Father Charlie and Sister Megan ended a tense encounter with sex. I have been uncertain about Father Charlie since the beginning. He feels like a major suspect in these murders.

There is a strange, dream-like sequence of Lois and Sister Megan in a car, singing a song together. The coloring of the scene created a hell-like landscape that was really disturbing and clearly part of the imagery of the episode.

Episode four, which is the first with an actual title, really dives into the religious iconography and ends with a creepy instance of a woman being chased by something.

Wild show so far. Is it too out there? Maybe.

Only Murders in the Building S4 E6

Spoilers

“Blow Up”

I loved this episode.

Like a found footage film, Only Murders in the Building went through the whole episode on cameras, which happened to be everywhere.

The Brothers Sisters were set up as a new suspect last week, but they are cleared this week after spending most of the episode trying to make them look guilty.

Best Zach Galifianakis cameo of the season so far as he was recovering in the hospital after being shot by a ricochet off Glen Stubbins’ metal plate in his head. The few seconds Zach was on were hilarious.

The discovery of two left shoulders in the ashes of Sazz was cool. The reveal that the second body from the incinerator being the mysterious Dudenoff was a great twist. I never thought that the Brother Sisters were the killers, but the way this used the reveal in this episode was tremendous.

The way the show used the narrative plot map (Inciting incident, Rising Action, Climax, Denouement) was unbelievably clever and worked so well.

There is still the emotional connection for Charles in Sazz’s death, even with the increased paranoia as it seemed that all three of our podcasters were the targets, as the Oliver crew were shot at.

And the discovery of the cameras and the text message to all three of them saying “I’m Watching You” was creepy.

Love love love this episode. I watched it twice. I love this entire season so far.