Category Archives: hulu

Grotesquerie S1 E1, E2

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“Pilot”

“True Crime Catholics”

I did not need another series on my watchlist. Currently, I am watching Agatha All Along, Only Murders in the Building, Bonus Action on YouTube, The Penguin, Mr. McMahon on Netflix, Raw and Smackdown, as well as coming to the end of season four of Bates Motel, preparing to start season seven of The X-Files, in the middle of season two of The Greatest American Hero and nearing the end of season two of Battlestar Galactica. The schedule is pretty tight at this point.

Yet, seeing the series entitled Grotesquerie pop up on Hulu (originally aired on FX), a series that I had seen intriguing trailers for at Cinemark, and a series by American Horror Story producer Ryan Murphy, I thought I could find a time to add this to the rotation.

The first two episodes became available together and it combines a vicious and brutal serial killer with the world of religious iconography.

Niecy Nash stars as Detective Lois Tryon, who finds herself at these horrendous crime scenes, really not wanting to be on the case. Still, the cases feel so very personal. Drinking heavily throughout both episodes, Lois is joined by a journalist who also just happens to be a nun, Sister Megan Duval. Sister Megan is an odd duck as a nun, unlike most nuns that you would see.

Lois’s husband, played by the incomparable Courtney B. Vance, is in a coma after being revealed as a cheater. Lois’s feelings toward her husband Marshall is complicated to say the least. However, she feels as if she needs to protect him from a nurse at the hospital, Nurse Redd, who has other ideas of what to do with Marshall. Nurse Redd is maybe the creepiest character on the show so far.

Showing on FX, Grotesquerie is available on both Hulu and Disney + the next day. I hope this is stronger than the last American Horror Story that we got.

Only Murders in the Building S4 E5

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“Adaptation”

I love and hate the ending of this week’s Only Murders in the Building at the same time.

What a great episode that ended with a horrendous cliffhanger, a gunshot echoing through the photo shoot.

I literally said out loud, “You can’t end there” as the screen went to black.

Charles was seemingly putting together a big time theory that the Brother Sisters, the movie’s directors, were the ones who shot Sazz, one of them as the shooter in the apartment and one to clean up the mess and dispose of the body. When the timeline of the murder night was seemingly thrown off by a limited amount of time, Charles was down about his “brain no longer thumping” as was written in the script of the movie. However, he did come up with the idea of the two. The Brother Sisters also had a boot mark similar to the one left in the apartment by the apparent shooter.

Clearly, as we have several episodes to go, this is not the final theory to come out, but everything sure feels like it fits together. Sazz supposedly had called about a mysterious trouble with the movie just before she was murdered.

By the way, the cameo of John McEnroe was hilarious, if not really weird.

We are introduced to Marshall, one of the writers of the movie script, who seems very excited to be a suspect by the trio. He may seem suss, but I just do not think he is anything more than a red herring.

I am not a fan of the side story of Oliver’s concerns over Loretta’s new co-star, This feels like a distraction from the best parts of the story (much like the heart attack to Oliver last season, which turned out to be nothing). Oliver does get a ton of funny lines from this, but it just feels too sitcommy.

I look forward to this show every week as it has been one of my favorites this year.

Only Murders in the Building S4 E4

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“The Stunt Man”

The excellent fourth season of Only Murders in the Building moved along with the fourth episode, dealing with the murder of Sazz and the feeling of loss and grief that her death had brought up in a lot of people, specifically with her fellow stunt people.

Paul Rudd returned to the canvas as a stunt man for the late Ben Glenroy. He was hilarious as the Irish stunt man who had clearly been knocked on the head too many times.

Once again, the key to this season has been the wonderful performance from Steve Martin and his character’s deep friendship with Sazz, which is being explored every episode in a different manner.

It also seems that the Westies have been shone to be red herrings as Mabel discovered that they were not a cult, but instead were involved in a scheme to illegally sublet rent-controlled apartments. It also looks like Mabel may be getting into that action.

The mystery has turned back to the movie aspect as Molly Shannon is found by the trio at Sazz’s “Paradise,” (which is a location where Sazz wanted to build a stunt man training facility she would run when she retired) and she is holding a gun on them. Why is she here? Why does she have a gun?

I do believe this episode picked up the pace once again. I thought last week’s episode was a bit of a letdown, but this is right back to the excellence of the season.

Only Murders in the Building S4 E3

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“Two for the Road”

So, why is Zach Galifianakis such a dick?

The three actors who are intended to play Oliver, Charles and Mabel came to shadow our plucky podcasters and became involved in the investigation into the Westies.

Zach Galifianakis, Eugene Levy and Eva Longoria clearly were playing caricatures of themselves in this episode, but I have to say, they were easily my least favorite part of this entire season so far.

I have loved this season, but the three actors felt like something crammed into the story that just did not work. I will admit Eugene Levy’s partnering up with Charles to look into the patch-wearing Richard Hatch was the best of the three. Eva Longoria was way over-the-top and annoying. Galifianakis was downright disrespectful to Oliver and I found him to be the worst of the three.

The episode is much stronger with the time that Oliver, Charles and Mabel are together. The beginning with the murder board and Detective Williams and the ending scene when the three were having a housewarming for Mabel’s squatting in the apartment that the sniper had shot from were both considerably more entertaining than them with the actors.

One has to wonder though… why Perfect Strangers?

There were a bunch of clues dropped this episode and several red herrings that played out, including Kumail Nanjiani, who we meet as Christmas all the time dude.

This was my least favorite of the episodes so far in season four, but it was just because those first two were so excellent for me. I am fully engaged in the mystery of who shot Sazz and how it related to Charles.

Only Murders in the Building airs on Hulu.

Only Murders in the Building S4 E2

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“Gates of Heaven”

Two episodes in and I am completely enthralled with this new season of Only Murders in the Building.

Steve Martin may be doing some of his best work of his long and illustrious career as Charles went through the episode trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he might have been the target of the murder attempt that claimed the life of his friend and stunt double, Sazz. Martin’s performance was beautiful as he spoke to the delusion he was seeing of Sazz. This was both sad as could be and relatable in a situation that just was crazy.

While Charles was breaking our hearts in his apartment (and kind of reuniting with escaped killer Jan), Oliver and Mabel went to investigate the Westies, people who could be the shooter in apartments across from Charles’ place, in the west end of the Arconia. These were some weirdos, led by Richard Kind’s “Stink Eye Joe” aka Vince Fish and his moving pink-eye. We also met a family who invite Oliver and Mabel to join them in a card game called Oh Hell. Some of the things that happen with the Westies are truly crazy and are either meant to throw us off or to highlight how crazy things are in this part of the Arconia. We certainly see that they know something more than they let us know.

We do not meet the Westie that Charles dubbed Christmas Guy, played by Kumail Nanjiani. Apparently, his apartment is decorated for Christmas year round. Oh, and by the way, when Oliver and Mabel were in the apartment where they believe that the shooter took the shot, Oliver found some tinsel. That clue may be too on the nose to be anything but a red herring, but you never can tell with this show.

I thought this was tremendous, with Steve Martin and Jane Lynch were amazing. I found the documentary that was the only time Sazz’s own face was on the screen packed a powerful wallop. Steve Martin’s moments at the beginning of the episode when he had Sazz’s ashes all over his hands and he did not know how to wash them off respectfully was both funny and crushing at the same time. His plan of washing off the ashes and catching the water in a bucket, putting the water in a Mason jar and allowing the water to evaporate to leave the ashes was never going to work, but it displayed the tremendous shock that Charles was suffering from.

I love the start of this season and I am thoroughly enjoying each episode so far. Only Murders in the Building airs on Hulu.

Only Murders in the Building S4 E1

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“Once Upon a Time in the West”

Charles, Oliver and Mabel are back for another round of mystery as they slowly discover what we all saw at the end of the third season, that Sazz, played over the series by Jane Lynch, had been killed by an assassin’s bullet in Charles’ apartment.

Well, it actually took them awhile to find out about Sazz since her body was not in Charles’s apartment and had, apparently, been removed and taken to the building’s incinerator.

Charles had been getting worried about Sazz, since she took off without any notice and that she was not responding to him. There was one mysterious text, but it did not help soothe Charles’s anxiety.

Meanwhile, the threesome headed off to Hollywood when they received an offer which included selling their life rights to a movie studio so they could make a movie based on the podcast. They were introduced to the actors that would be playing them in the movie: Eugene Levy as Charles, Eva Longoria as Mabel and Zach Galifianakis. (By the way, this casting is inspired.)

Meryl Streep reprised her role as Loretta and she and Oliver had a lovely scene together. Loretta tried to talk Oliver into coming out to California with her as she was involved in a TV show.

Scott Bakula also appeared, running into Charles and confirming that Sazz had not shown up for the job of backing him, causing Charles to really start to worry.

This started with a really excellent episode. Steve Martin, in particular, was exceptional with his confused and worried state over his missing friend. Watching him dig the joint replacements from Bulgaria out of the incinerator at the Arconia was horrifying. The response on the text message moments later, as Charles mourned his friend, was chilling.

This has a ton of promise and I can’t wait for next week’s episode to see where they go with it.

The Bear S3 E10

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“Forever”

Season three of The Bear leaves off on a cliffhanger that was really frustrating… one that I should have seen coming.

The ever elusive restaurant review finally is published and Carmy is seeing the Google alert on his phone. There are also several messages and missed calls from Uncle Jimmy and the Computer which implies negativity. Or does it? This whole review plot has been scattered through the second half of the season and it has been anxiety-driven.

The finale included the “funeral” for the restaurant, Ever. It included a ton of guest stars and returning cameos throughout the evening.

Above all else, I have got to say… I love Olivia Colman.

She is such a joy on screen. I mean, in whatever role she is doing, it does not matter whether the episode or movie is good, Olivia Colman will rock every moment on screen. She is such a magnificent actor that creates a connection under every circumstance. Here, as Chef Terry, she is a jewel, a character who clearly should be emulated by Carmy, Sydney or anyone else.

There was also a return cameo by Joel McHale, as Carmy’s old boss who drove Carmy to be the chef he is today, as well as give him panic attacks and the source of his PTSD. The confrontation between Carmy and McHale was as powerful for Carmy as underwhelming as it was for McHale. One hopes Carmy can finally realize how much like McHale’s chef he has become and understand that he needs to change his behavior or else he could cause everyone around him at The Bear to feel of Carmy the way Carmy feels about McHale.

This season of The Bear had a lot of experimental episodes that felt different than what one expects on TV. While the performances continue to be top notch, especially some of the cameos (I have to call out Jamie Lee Curtis once again), the story itself could have progressed a bit more than what it did. Was there any real progress in the story from episode one to episode 10? Most of the big questions brought up in season three remain unanswered heading into season four. While I understand building toward the next season, I need a little more results from season three.

Still, I thought this season on The Bear had a lot of great moments and I still hope that the answers will come quickly in season four for some of the storylines left open.

The Bear S3 E8, E9

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“Ice Chips”

“Apologies”

Jamie Lee Curtis is just so good.

After the episode 7 cliffhanger with Sugar going into labor at the store, we picked up episode 8 with her desperately trying to call someone. No one answered.

Finally, out of desperation, she called her mom.

Jamie Lee Curtis’s portrayal of Donna has been one of the craziest characters of the show. Her performance in season two’s “Fishes” was epic, really showing the wildness of this character.

However, we get a new side to Donna in this episode as she is there to help her daughter through the labor, from her own first hand experiences to some uncomfortable truths.

This was an amazing episode.

The penultimate episode seemed to be setting up some major things for the finale. Oliver Platt came to speak to Carmy, having something to do with the money owed. They are making a big deal out of the review that is yet to come. They teased the review both ways, but Platt said that if the review is a bad one, he would have to cut the strings to the money.

Sydney is conflicted over the job she had been offered and nearly talked to Carmy about it. Carmy invited her to the final night at Ever. Neil and Theodore went to see Claire at her job to speak on behalf of Carmy. Carmy continues to feel the absence of Claire as he went into the freezer to reflect on everything.

One more episode in season three to go.

The Bear S3 E6, E7

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“Napkins”

“Legacy”

Two more episodes of The Bear out of the way. The show is quality throughout.

“Napkins” was the origin story of Tina. Again, I was unsure where in the timeline this took place at first. After awhile, I realized that this was a flashback episode detailing how Tina ended up at the restaurant.

The scene between Tina and Mikey was just tremendous. The dialogue was sharp and excellent and did a great job of moving the scene along. It was a great scene as it always is with Jon Bernthal on the screen. Bernthal brings a true gravitas to the story and his performance works so well. I was just thinking the whole time how this was a guy who would kill himself, which I think is one of the main reasons Carmy has had such a difficult time dealing with the loss over the seasons.

Episode seven finds another restaurant looking to poach Sydney and give her the position that she always wanted. There is a reason she has not yet signed the deal for partnership at The Bear and I get the feeling that this is something that is going to blow this series up. You can already see how much Richie depends on Sydney, let alone the rest of the crew.

Meanwhile, Carmy is as spaced out as ever.

Oh, and it looks like Sugar may be in labor. How will The Bear get their C-Folds????

The Bear S3 E4, E5

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“Violet”

“Children”

The Champ is here!

Or at least John Cena is here, starting in episode 5, as Sammy Fak, Neil and Theodore’s brother. And he brings his excellent comedic timing to an amazing scene stealing cameo on the show that kills all the cameos.

I loved John Cena’s arrival and appearance. He was very entertaining as the show progressed. So was The Computer, a man brought in by Oliver Platt to tell Carmy and the rest of the staff what the future of their restaurant is and how they can improve it to make things better. Most of his suggestions are ways that they waste money and how they could do better.

The Computer was there basically to bring Oliver Platt back in. The whole scene in the back with Platt, The Computer, Carmy and the rest was really entertaining, especially when Sammy joined in.

Episodes four and five are two of the calmer episodes of the third season so far. The typical conflict the show has spotlighted over the first three episodes is toned down. There is a small bit of it, but the conflict is done more as a way for humor, such as Sammy ‘haunting’ Theodore because he had taken Sammy’s SD cards.

Carmy was at a lower level of crazy here, as he is starting to wonder if he is messing things up. Learning that his friend and mentor Chef Terry had to shut her restaurant had an impact on him and maybe brought him back to reality. Maybe he just kept his distance from Richie.

We get some sweet scenes with Richie and his daughter. Richie also shows how great of a dad he is when he asks Sugar if he should back out of his relationship with her so it would not be weird with Frank (Josh Harnett of all people).

There is also a review that is being written of The Bear that is causing some anxiety.

These two episodes were solid with less hectic drive of the first three this season which made for a nice change before things clearly will amp back up as the second half of season three gets underway.

The Bear S3 E3

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“Doors”

Another absolutely tense and stressful episode as we see several days at the Bear and how the conflicts are driving everyone nuts.

Carmy, Richie and their baggage exploded at least once and threatened to do so several other times. The stress of having to do everything perfect is pushing the chefs to their breaking point. Oliver Platt made another guest appearance raving over the cost of what was being purchased. He said the restaurant was filled every night, but why was their no money?

And after every intense scene, someone hollers “doors” indicating that everything is starting over again.

Things are at a high level of intensity at The Bear and it is clearly leading to trouble.

By the way, Carmy had another round of flashbacks during a particularly stressful moment in the kitchen, making me wonder if that PTSD comment I made from episode one was right on the money. How these flashbacks are triggers for Carmy when the PTSD is getting to high.

Need to take a break from this show for a little bit. It is so anxiety-filled that I feel the same way. It is amazing, but I just do not like the binge method for this show. Needs some down time with it.

The Bear S3 E2

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“Next”

Man.

I was going to say that the scene in the back of the restaurant was amazing, but it kept going, adding more people to the scenes and, eventually, basically became the entire episode. It was astounding.

How do you go about filming a scene like that? I mean, a scene with so much back and forth, rapid fire dialogue and consistently increasing tension among the actors. It felt like a one take, but it couldn’t possibly be one. This featured relationships between all of our main characters, with the relationship between Carmy and Richie absolutely ripping through the entire conversation.

This episode was total fire and I think it is really setting up the conflict for the remainder of the season and I feel as if Carmy may have some major results of these conflicts heading his way. He is a ticking bomb in this episode and how much more can he absorb?

The Bear S3 E1

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“Tomorrow”

WTF was that?

I have to say that the first episode of season three of FX’s series The Bear (which is listed as a comedy for awards consideration, but there are not very many laughs inside), was a visual trip. About half way through the episode I had to stop and go back to read a synopsis of the final episode of season two to try and remember exactly what happened to see if I could determine what was going on.

I did not succeed.

I am guessing that this flashback episode, which jumped between moments from Carmy’s distant and recent past, was designed as a consciousness of thought. In my research, I found a site that mentioned that flashbacks could be a sign of PTSD, or perhaps dissociation (Tully, verywellmind). I found that intriguing since the final episode of season two certainly put Carmy through the ringer, being trapped in his freezer, breaking up with his girlfriend all on the night of his big opening for the restaurant The Bear, albeit friends and family night.

Could this first episode be a mental response from Carmy for the trauma from the first night?

Some of the moments we saw in the flashbacks we had already seen, such as the flashback to the family dinner from season two episode “Fishes” and we saw scenes that I either did not remember or that we new. I do not remember seeing the phone call from Sugar to Carmy dealing with their brother’s suicide.

This first episode absolutely required the viewers to stop and give the show its complete attention because there was no straightforward narrative structure to the episode, but it provided some deep investigation inside the mind of Carmy.

The Bear is currently streaming on Hulu and on Disney +.

Shogun S1 E10

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“A Dream of a Dream”

That last moment of the penultimate ninth episode was the most shocking, unexpected scene I have seen on a TV show in a long time. The death of Lady Mariko shook the series dramatically, and the repercussions were felt of that death throughout a beautiful finale of Shogun.

In fact, the death of Mariko was the point of Crimson Sky, the main concept behind the plan of Toranaga in his attempt to regain power and bring a lasting peace to Japan.

We see John Blackthorne in a distant future, old and most likely on his deathbed, showing that he would survive the situation in Japan.

I thought the death of Mariko would trigger some serious violence and I was wrong. Her death actually triggered the change of alliances in the potential war. She negotiated for the life of John. Mariko’s ghost was all over this episode.

Her death also brought the guilt out of Yabushige and led to his committing seppuku with Toranaga acting as his second. The scene between these two on a cliff overlooking the sea was strong as Toranaga confessed his entire plan to Yabushige before his death.

There was a beautiful scene with Blackthorne and Fuji scattering her husband and baby’s ashes in the water before she would depart to become a nun.

Of course, the scene where Blackthorne threatened to kill himself was undercut by the fact that we saw old man Blackthorne at the beginning of the episode, but the acting was so good in this scene that you could excuse the structure.

I expect that this is the end of Shogun. It was ten fantastic episodes. If they decided to extend this to a second season, I would watch, but without Mariko, I am not sure it would have the same power. The acting was tremendous and the shocks were plentiful.

Shogun S1 E9

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“Crimson Sky”

Holy crap.

I can’t believe what I just saw.

This is absolutely mind-blowing and I have a pit in my stomach. I thought Mariko was gone twice during the episode, and, when I felt as if she was safe, she was not.

The fight she had at the front gate was unbelievable and I was worried that Mariko was going to die at this point. She did not. Then, the whole seppuku scene with her, I was sure that she was a goner (especially after the death from episode eight) and when Ishido came and prevented it, I was relieved. I was sure she was safe.

Then the relationship between John and Mariko was made clearer. I have never felt like Mariko had the feelings toward John, but this was obvious with the actions and the slight looks.

All leading to the dramatic ending, starting off with a betrayal from Yabushige. I was confused at first what was happening, because I wondered if this were men from Toranaga that Yabushige let into the castle. However, when they started going after John and Mariko, I did not understand. And Yabushige was there with them at the end.

If I was correct, I think I was able to determine the shinobi were sent by Lord Ishido because he did not want these women to be able to leave and this would safe face for him.

This was a heavy Mariko episode, with Yoko Shimada, and it reminded me of a LOST episode when a major character would die. It always seemed like it was an episode that was centric to that character. This was very much that way. We even saw a flashback to when she was pregnant, which I did not know she had given birth. Her son comes to see her and does not treat her well.

I have not have had a reaction to a scene like the ending in a long time. I was totally shocked at the explosive death and it hit hard.

The finale is next week. What a powerful penultimate episode this was.