Category Archives: TV-G[eek]

IT: Welcome to Derry S1 E1

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“The Pilot”

I loved IT. I loved the original TV show miniseries starring Tim Curry and the 2017 movie. The second part of the movie was not as strong, but I am a fan of Pennywise the Dancing Clown.

So when I heard that there was a series in the works for HBO Max set in Derry in prior years when Pennywise would terrorize the children of Derry, I was all in.

While we did not see Pennywise in this first episode, it was anything but lacking. In fact, I found it shocking and, somewhat, upsetting.

They set up a group of kids, much like the “losers” from the film, and gave them a mission. Find Matty, the boy who we meet at the beginning who wound up with a weird family in an attempt to leave Derry.

These kids included Teddy, Phil, Lilly, Phil’s little sister Susie and Veronica. They were trying to solve the mystery of Matty’s disappearance after Lilly heard him speaking to her out of her pipes in her bathtub.

Shockingly, Lilly and Veronica were the only two to survive the encounter at the end of the episode. I couldn’t believe it because it sure seemed as of Teddy and Phil were being set up as the main characters of this show. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and I was sure something would happen to save them, even after seeing their blood splatter and Teddy actually being slammed face first into the projector room glass.

I am sad that they are gone, because I really liked them. I saw an interview with director Andy Muschietti who said they wanted to show that no one was safe in this setting. He did that for sure.

We’ll see where this goes from here. I thought this pilot episode was really good and it definitely defied what I expected to see.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #40

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“Touch”

This week as a good episode. The show focused in on Theo, both as a young girl and an adult, dealing with her ability to see visions when she touched someone.

Her mother called it being “sensitive,” but it was clearly a skill that Theo was not happy about. This is the reason behind the gloves Theo would wear.

We see a plot line involving a little girl named Kelsey who came to see Theo professionally. She spoke about “Mr. Smiley” and she seemed to be so close to Theo that Theo had trouble even reading her. This was a hard plot point as it turned out that Mr. Smiley was Kelsey’s foster father and Theo was able to get him arrested. It was a painful set of scenes.

Not quite as powerful or painful as when Theo went to see the body of Nell. Theo gave a pain-filled cry after she laid her hands on the body.

I am still placing characters, but I think this was the best week yet of knowing who was who. McKenna Grace, who played young Theo, did an exceptional job this episode.

Gen V S2 E8

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“Trojan”

@%$^ yeah!

What a fabulous conclusion to this season. This finale was so great. Everything was right on point. From the Arrival of Thomas Godolkin to the seminars he was holding to the Godolkin/Marie showdown to the perfect timing of Polarity to the appearance of Starlight and A-Train… was just perfect.

The only question I might have had was did Godolkin go too quickly? Should we have built him up a little more. That is the only complaint I had with the episode.

I was sad to see Doug get killed. He had some awesome scenes of exposition and a fantastic one where he talked to Polarity about Andre. That was a beautiful scene ruined by Black Noir.

And the line from Polaris to Black Noir “You can talk now?” was hilarious.

I also loved the scene with Marie and Cate where Marie cured Cate was another wonderful scene in this exciting episode.

Sister Sage was all over this episode. Her “allowing” Polarity to escape was great.

There was just so many cool moments in this episode that I really hope these characters become a major part of The Boys’ final season.

Only Murders in the Building S5 E9

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“Lestr”

Okay, the ninth episode of season 5 was actually my least favorite episode of the season. Watching the tenants packing up and getting ready to move out was depressing and the distance between Oliver and Charles was uncomfortable and, seemingly, out of nowhere. I was not a fan of that.

It was neat to see Nathan Lane return to his role from earlier in the show. It was fun to see him (and his son),

There was too much of Lestr in this episode. I am not a fan of the robot.

Turned out that Lester, the real doorman, was the one who killed Nicky Caccimelio, with the elevator crank in an attempt to save the building. That was a good twist.

Who killed Lester? That is still up in the air, although they point a finger (quite literally) at Nicky’s mother, Nonna. I’m not sure she is the final killer, but I do expect that to lead to the final resolution in the finale next week.

How will they stop the Arconian from becoming a casino? I don’t know but I hope to find out.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #39

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“Open Casket”

That insect coming out of the mouth of that little dead kitten…. that was horrifying.

The second episode of The Haunting of Hill House was all about death and the after effects for those who were left behind.

Grief is a powerful emotion and this episode really shows the realistic ways people grieve, all mixed with the strange supernatural goings-on surrounding this family.

With Nellie’s suicide being the backdrop of the storytelling, the episode’s focus was on Shirley and her own problems. Shirley insists on preparing Nellie’s body for the funeral, something that everyone around her feels is a bd idea. We get flashbacks to the Hill House when Shirley discovered a group of deserted kittens and tried to help them. However, the kittens were sick and ended up dying (except for the last one, which was taken away by her parents).

We saw several moments when dealing with death, particularly with the idea of an open casket. I have to say that I, personally, hate open caskets. They kept referring to “fixing” the body, but I have never seen an open casket where the body seemed right.

I thought this episode was strong, but I would be lying if I said that the non-linear storytelling isn’t difficult to follow still. I am still trying to understand who is who during these moments. It felt a little better this week, but I know that I was more into the present storyline than I was with the flashbacks because of that.

When that insect crawled out of that kitten’s mouth…. man, that caught me totally off guard.

The Haunting of Hill House is on Netflix.

Gen V S2 E7

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“Hell Week”

The penultimate episode for season two of Gen V brought the goods and the answers to a couple of major mysteries of the season.

In particular, we discover who the old man being held by Cipher was… and it was Thomas Godolkin. However, there was more to it than just that. Marie healed the old man, and then we discovered that Godolkin was using Cipher as a puppet. Turned out Cipher was actually some schlub named Doug.

Now, Godolkin is all better and out, ready to wipe out those supes who are not worth the time.

Marie, it seems, has made some poor choices moving forward. Her attempt at “protecting” her friends led her to using her powers against them. As she is becoming more powerful, it feels as if Marie is becoming more of a jerk. Is that just the way all powerful heroes are in this world?

This episode seemed to be quick, but it was impactful, with Cipher taking on Polarity and some of the other heroes.

Everything is set up for one banger of a finale next week, leading into the final season of the Boys.

Only Murders in the Building S5 E8

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“Cuckoo Chicks”

It’s Ladies’ Night on Only Murder in the Building and the mystery gets a new twist.

Mabel, Loretta (back from waiting with a delay at the airport) and Williams went to a “Ladies’Night” at the secret room in the Arconia in an attempt to figure out what happened and to get a confession out of Camila White.

Meanwhile Charles and Oliver went above ground in an attempt to convince their neighbors not to sell their apartments to Camila. At 49%, Camila only needed one more apartment to set her casino plan into motion.

However, none of those things work out.

Thank heavens for Loretta and her “psychic” abilities. She got a ton of info from Camila, via flashbacks in an intriguing format, that helped point to some new facts.

And Lester’s wife, Lorraine joined in and picked out a major clue from the, admittedly small, clue box. It led to a video of our new suspect, Randall, the new doorman. The video showed Randall picking up the bloody elevator crank, which Loretta discovered in Nicky’s office, and taking off.

Meanwhile, Oliver and Charles have a therapy session in their attempt to convince therapist and neighbor Dr. Stanley. After some deep character introspection, they were able to convince him not to sell. Sadly, it was too late as escro closed at 12 and it was 12:15.

Camila has the 51% she needs, so what is heading for the final couple of episodes? I don’t know, but I do love this series. It always keeps you guessing. This week we have a bunch of Oscar winners plying their trade together (four Oscar winning actresses).

Sha Na Na S1 E8, E9, E10

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I feel like I need to mention this every episode of this show… I hate the canned laughter and canned cheers. They really do not make the show more enjoyable.

Second, the comedy bits are just not good. Episode 10 did something different, which I liked a lot. They did a Sha Na Na dance contest on the main stage and they, supposedly, grabbed three women from the audience to dance with Donny, Denny, and Santini. I don’t know how real this was, but the winner was chosen by the audience and was definitely the best of the three.

Edgar Bergen was in episode 8, but barely appeared. I also did not remember how much Edgar Bergen moved his mouth when doing his ventriloquist act.

Episode 9 & 10 featured actual musical acts in guests with Jim Stafford and Theresa Brewer. These were so much better than the comedians that they have had before. Both did a song with Sha Na Na and it was entertaining.

In episode 8, Jane Dulo, who played the woman in the window, yelled down to Denny that his father “worked like a slave.” That shocked me and it was never referenced, but I can’t believe someone didn’t notice that comment.

Denny got a couple of songs in these episodes with “The Lover’s Question” and a intro to “Jailhouse Rock.” Screamin’ Scott was featured on “Splish Splash” and “Rock and Roll is Here to Stay.” Johnny did several of the final songs of these episodes. I still like how they moved lead singers around. Jocko got to do “Chantilly Lace” as well.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #38

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The Haunting of Hill House

“Steven Sees a Ghost”

The ending of this first episode gave me chills.

We start a new series this week for the Sunday Morning Sidewalk, and, in honor of the creepy season, I chose The Haunting of Hill House.

What a great start to this series.

I have to say, I think this series does an admirable job of introducing these characters to the viewers. With so many major characters, it can be difficult to know who is who. Then, not only do we met these people in the present day, but also in flashbacks to the time they lived in Hill House. It could easily be very confusing, but I have to say that the show did a solid job of connecting the characters from the past and the present. It did require my attention though.

The show does an especially good job with Steven, as we see him both as a young boy, the oldest of the kids and his protective nature, and an older man, skeptical and struggling.

Then, Nell and the moment at the end was an amazing shock. When Nell stood in that apartment staring blankly at Steven, I knew what was going on (I mean, when you title the episode “Steven Sees a Ghost” and he hasn’t up to this point, well, it is not rocket science), but it did not make it any less impactful.

The middle two girls are the characters that I got the least from during this episode, and I hope they will come into focus more are the series progresses. Luke is a fascinating character and I feel like I have a good grasp on him even with the limited amount of screen time he received.

The father has clearly been affected dramatically and I feel as if we are going to dive deeper into the mother’s suicide in Hill House.

I am intrigued by the mysterious events that the show has introduced to us and, with the mind of writer-director Mike Flanagan, who also was the force behind Doctor Sleep, Gerald’s Game, and The Life of Chuck, I believe this could lead to something special.

This series is loosely based on the novel of the same name from 1959 by Shirley Jackson.

Peacemaker S2 E8

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“Full Nelson”

After seven successful episodes, the finale of season two of Peacemaker felt a little flat.

Episode seven was sensational. Episode eight just felt like a lot of wrap up/falling action. We get some flashbacks to Chris and Harcourt’s relationship, but none of those had as much energy as some of the other scenes.

The whole Chris depression angle was over quickly. He wanted to be left in jail. Then, when he was bailed out, he was going to leave town. Soon, the 11th Street Kids found him and talked him into working together.

The whole crew got together to set up an organization, which also included Judomaster and Agent Langston Fleury and Sasha Bordeaux. Now, there are no real reasons why Judomaster and Fleury join up with the 11th Street Kids. Sasha was at least shown to have lost her belief in Flagg.

Flagg used the door Chris had given him to find a planet to use as a prison. He found the planet of Salvation, which is tied to Darkseid in a way. I am not that familiar with DC Comics material like I am with Marvel, when Chris is stranded by Flagg Sr. in a moment of pure revenge, it looks like something that will be major in the DCU.

The finale was not what I was expecting and I was a little disappointed. James Gunn had mentioned a big cameo and I am not sure what that was (maybe it was the planet Salvation). This did not feel like a finale of a series. It does feel like this set up for future stuff instead of a conclusion for season two.

Gen V S2 E6

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“Cooking Lessons”

The latest episode of Gen V was just slowly moving along… and then…

There was Giancarlo Esposito.

We haven’t seen Stan Edgar in awhile and there he, and his tentacled-mouth granddaughter, was rescuing Marie and her friends.

With only two episodes left, there are a bunch of things dropped this week sending things rushing towards the finale.

What we learned:

  • Marie and Homelander were the only two survivors of the Odessa Program.
  • The show basically confirmed that the old man in Cipher’s house is Thomas Godolkin.
  • Annabeth is a supe, though she does not know when it happened.
  • Polarity had a big conflict with Cipher. It seemed like Cipher had complete control, but Polarity got the upper hand.
  • Cipher tells Polarity that his plan is to weed out the weak Supes, saving only the strong ones. He expects to have 25% of God U.
  • Cate asked Marie to fix her powers.

Things do feel like they are on the fast track right now. I did love seeing Giancarlo Esposito once again.