Category Archives: TV-G[eek]

The X-Files S9 E9

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“Provenance”

The X-Files was back with the first part of a two-part episode that focused on Scully’s son William and the people trying to kill him.

It also brought back the spaceship from season seven. The ship that was found off the coast of Africa and that had words on it from the Bible, the Koran and other religious text.

The idea of a conspiracy continued with the FBI looking as if they are involved in a cover up, specifically of the spaceship. However, it appeared that they were trying to cover up the possibility that Mulder was dead.

This came from another FBI agent who had infiltrated a UFO cult and he reportedly discovered that Mulder was dead. Of course, I never once believed that. I’m sure I did not believe it back when this originally aired and I, of course, know that was not the case. Mulder’s deaths have been many over the years, and none of them seemed to stick.

Doggett is injured once again, this time hit by a car. He has been hurt more than anyone else in this series in just the short time that he has been on the show.

Monica was her normal, worthless self. I shouldn’t say that. She can take care of that baby. It seems as if the series had her around to be the babysitter.

The next episode is the second part of this story.

Duster S1 E3

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“You’re No Good”

Duster episode three was pretty good as we had progression of the two sides to the investigation.

Jim and Saxton head to a meeting and some road bonding takes place. Nothing better than a bar fight because of racial hatred, right? The chemistry between Josh Holloway and Keith David is exceptional. Jim is torn between his beliefs about his brother’s death. He went from one scene where he was sure Saxton did not have the c4 placed under his brother’s van and then to another scene where he believed he did.

Personally, I am hoping that Saxton was not responsible for Jim’s brother’s death and that it was someone inside his organization that was at fault. I’m not sure though as it sure seems like the show wants us to believe he did it.

Meanwhile, Nina and Awan went undercover and broke into an asylum to try and speak with Agent Breen about the report from the Saxton case. Things did not go well as Breen became violent and nearly killed her with a knife to the throat.

Overall, it feels as if the trip to the asylum, which went against direct orders, was a failure. However, Awan’s passionate defense of Superman was an episode highlight.

I have been liking this HBO Max series so far. Josh Holloway is a powerful force in the show.

Poker Face S2 E6

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“Sloppy Joseph”

It was last week that I wondered about the format of this show, worried that if it just stays the same that it could become too repetitive and dull. I commented that the show switched things up last year near the end of the season, all for the better.

Damned if they didn’t do it again.

Charlie got a job as a lunch lady at a private school and got involved with the drama of a nine-year old. The structure of the episode flipped around too. No murder… unless you count the gerbil, Joseph, the victim of a talent show magic trick gone awry.

This was a wonderfully twisted episode where Charlie comes in conflict with the gold-star earning, sociopathic child named Stephanie. Stephanie is willing to do whatever it takes to remain at the top of the class, leading in the gold star competition, but Elijah was catching up to her, and defeated her in a spelling bee (sort of rigged by the teacher, admittedly).

With 20 gold stars on the line, everything would come down to the talent show and Elijah had a banger of a magic act. Stephanie messed with the magic box Joseph was going to be in during the magic trick and led directly to the splattering of gerbil blood across the front row of the kids at the talent show, a scene that would have made Sam Raimi proud.

There were so many things in this episode that were fun, from Charlie amending her typical “bullshit” response to “bullshoot” to Stephanie’s outright blackmail of the principal, Dr. Hamm, played by the always marvelous Margo Martindale, to Charlie’s quoting of Jaws. The whole situation was surreal, but, as a teacher myself, I bought every second of the episode.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #19

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“The Collectors”

Things are picking up as the show reached it’s ninth of eleven episodes. And we are seeing how powerful and… dangerous (?) the Vortex, aka Rose Walker, potentially could be.

The setting… the creepiest of conventions you’d ever see. A Cereal convention? Killers, creatures, pedophiles.

The Dreaming is being damaged and Morpheus continues to show that he is not a heroic figure.

Gilbert returned and we discovered that he was one of the escaped nightmares, Fiddler’s Green. Fry is awesome and is absolutely wonderful in this series.

The Corinthian has shown his true side to Jed as he offed some convention attendees. This set up a huge confrontation for next week between Rose and the Corinthian.

Doctor Who S2 E8

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“The Reality War”

I am very sad. Ncuti Gatwa had his final episode as The Doctor as the character regenerates after a huge battle with the Roni, Omega and an attempt to save Poppy, the little girl who turned out to be the real daughter of Belinda.

The action packed episode was thrilling and Ncuti Gatwa showed off his original variation of the Doctor.

We also got a cameo from a former Doctor, the thirteenth Doctor, Jodie Whittaker.

I know Ncuti Gatwa had his opposition among the Who fans, but I am here to say that I am now a fan of Doctor Who and it is 100% because of the work of Ncuti Gatwa. He has been the most amazing performer, with more emotion and energy than many action show leads. The Doctor was an original concept and Ncuti Gatwa feels like a breath of fresh air.

From the BBC, this is the statement made by Ncuti Gatwa after the end of this season:

“You know when you get cast, at some point you are going to have to hand back that sonic screwdriver and it is all going to come to an end, but nothing quite prepares you for it.”

He added: “There are no words to describe what it feels like to be cast as the Doctor, nor are there words to explain what it feels like to be accepted into this iconic role that has existed for over 60 years and is truly loved by so many across the globe.”

Gatwa thanked “Whoniverse” fans for “welcoming me in, and making this such a touching experience.

“I’ve loved every minute of it, but now is the time to hand over the keys to that beloved blue box and let someone else take control and enjoy it every bit as much as I have.

“I’ll truly miss it, and forever be grateful to it, and everyone that has played a part in my journey as the Doctor.”

Billie Piper appeared on the screen when the Doctor regenerated. I see that Piper was a former companion for the Christopher Eccleston and then David Tennant versions. The BBC article does imply that she may not have been officially cast as The Doctor yet.

Thank you, Ncuti Gatwa for one of the most human Doctors that we have seen yet. I will miss that tear rolling down your face seemingly every episode. Good luck with everything in your future. You will always be my Doctor.

The X-Files S9 E8

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“Hellbound”

I do not like Monica Reyes.

I have seen this character now for several episodes and I just have not been able to connect with her. And now, with Hellbound, it feels as if the writing stuck her into a situation that not only does not make much sense, but feels very lazy.

This whole thing seemed to come out of nowhere and I disliked the manner in which Monica went about this case. I’m to believe that she is some kind of reincarnated being who has been involved in the same basic murder cases for decades, and all of this just started happening in this episode? I really thought the plot of this was bad.

Part of it may be that I have just never cared for Monica Reyes at this point. She has never had much of a character and this felt like a way to try and give her one, but I just did not buy it.

The effects and the make up involved in the creation of the skinned bodies was well done, though. It was some of the best effects that the show had done, especially the one where the skinned man was still alive. There were some excellent suspense built with some of the moments of the episode, but I just did not like the manner in which this was resolved, nor was I fond of the way they inserted Monica into the story.

I have not enjoyed season nine much so far as we have eleven more episodes remaining.

Duster S1 E2

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“Suspicious Minds”

Thank you… thank you very much.

How meta is this when you have the actual Adrienne Barbeau playing a character in your show, while you have an actress playing Adrienne Barbeau in your show. And that actress, in the story, distracts an actor playing Colonel Tom Parker so Jim could steal Elvis Presley’s original blue suede shows.

Wild.

This turned into what felt like a Coen Brothers movie with plot twists and killers. Patrick Warburton played a hitman named Sunglasses that Jim hired to lean on the crooked cop that had seen him meeting with Nina at the end of episode one. That cop wanted a $10,000 pay off to not take that information to the interested parties.

Josh Holloway continues to be charismatic and entertaining in the main role. I felt a little less that this was just a Sawyer-lite character this week than I did the last time, which is a good thing. I think part of that was because of the bizarre storyline of Jim needing to steal Elvis’s blue suede shoes to pay off Sunglasses to take care of the crooked cop.

Of course, the crooked cop ended up shot (I guess not dead though). Jim and Sunglasses had a great fight in a bowling alley. Never knew the bowling alley was such a dangerous location.

The HBO Max series releases on Thursdays.

The Last of Us S2 E7

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“Convergence”

“You wasted it!”

What an end to the second season of The Last of Us. Abby comes face to face with Ellie and it sure seemed as if Abby shoots Ellie.

Ellie killed a couple of Abby’s group earlier, including Mel, a pregnant woman, and it was clear that it hit Ellie hard. Mel became collateral damage in this revenge and that shook Ellie to her core.

With the screen going to black when the shots are fired, we have no idea what happened to Ellie. Most series I would say that it was obvious that she would be fine, that it was someone else’s gun going off, but about a month ago, the show killed Joel so I would not put anything past it.

It did end the season with the idea that the show was going to switch POV to Abby as the episode ended with a chyron stating “Seattle Day One” on the screen after we saw Abby in the Wolves’ stadium. I do not know how excited I am in seeing the POV of Abby in this whole thing. I hate this character of Abby and I do not want to have my opinion changed on her. I am not interested in a redemption arc for her, seeing everything that she has been through. She killed Joel and she killed Jesse. I am sad for the loss of Jesse, by the way. I should have known earlier in the episode when Jesse said that he was not dying that it was just foreshadowing the end.

By the way, the short time that Ellie was on Scar Island with the Seraphites was utterly frightening. I was not sure how Ellie was getting out of that situation as the noose was around her neck and she was just about dangling off the ground. She was seconds away from being gutted like a deer by the Seraphites. Thankfully, an alarm goes off, preventing the scarred psychos from completing their ritual. Ellie has that luck roll working for her.

The shots of Ellie on the water in the thunderstorm was amazing scenes. The power of the storm was clear and the danger that Ellie was willing to put herself in to satisfy her own selfish vengeance is fully realized.

I was not sure that this was the finale of the season, and it left off at a horrible moment. Then, Abby seemingly the focus of the third season, at least at first does not make me anxious for the show to return. It is absolutely a quality show, but I worry that it may push some viewers, particularly those that are not the game players, away.

Poker Face S2 E5

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“Hometown Hero”

Take me out to the ballgame… where Charlie will solve a murder case with the greatest of ease.

The latest Poker Face episode was set in a small time minor league park with a washed up pitcher named “Rocket” and a team on the verge of setting an all time record for losing.

A group of the players got together to bet on the team losing and it was going to be a huge pay off, especially as they were throwing the games.

However, a new, hotshot pitcher threatened to upend their plan, so they spiked the kid’s gum with drugs. Unfortunately, the drugs only served to make him unhittable.

After some shenanigans, the team still was able to lose and set the record. However, the young kid discovered the truth and was going to blackmail Rocket with the evidence. Rocket threw a ball at the kid’s head, killing him accidentally.

Thankfully, the newly hired ball-girl Charlie was able to uncover the, admittedly, stupid ballplayers’ scam for throwing games and she was able to put together the truth from Rocket.

This was a pretty dumb episode, but it was still fairly entertaining. A big charm of this series is Natasha Lyonne and her performance as the living lie detector. I do hope there are some switch ups coming because I am afraid that the repetitive format might get dull. Last time I mentioned that in reference to this series, the show did change up and gave some creative episodes so I hope the same thing will happen in the second part of this season.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #18

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“Playing House”

Last week, I was not very interested in the new story arc that The Sandman was starting off. This week, I am all in.

Funny how a week can change things. The whole story of Rose Walker and her search for his brother Jed was not catching my attention. I theorized last week when Rose showed up in the Dreaming at Morpheus’s throne room, business might be picking up and I was right. Right now I am fully engaged with this story of a sister trying to reunite with her brother.

We got more abut Jed’s life, trapped in a basement as his cruel foster father collected $800 checks every month and how Jed escaped into his dreams, with the aid of one of Morpheus’s missing nightmares, Gault, to become a super hero called The Sandman. Perhaps it was this dream that grabbed my attention, but, whatever it was, I thought this was so much more entertaining and gripping than it was last week.

The Corinthian was back again, being brutal and vicious in the most gentlemanly manner. When he showed up to take Jed, it was both a happy moment and one of anxiety. One thing is for sure, I was happy with the fates of the foster parents. They deserved every bit of what they got.

It seems more and more to me that Morpheus is not the hero of this story. On the surface, it appeared as if he wanted to help Rose find Jed, but it appeared that he only cared about retrieving Gault. His punishment of Gault was over the top too. I have to not think about Morpheus as a hero and instead thing of him like a force of nature. He is much like Galactus. Galactus consumes planets, but he is a necessary cog in the universe’s life span even if his actions could, at times, seem villainous.

The Lyta/Hector storyline still does not intrigue me near as much as the main story with Rose, but the dream baby does have some interest.

I am looking forward to next week’s installment, which is episode nine of eleven. We are coming to the end of the second program in the Sunday Morning Sidewalk series. I am actively looking for the third TV show to include after The Sandman concludes in three weeks.

Doctor Who S2 E7

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“Wish World”

It is May 24th, a date that has been of major significance in season two of Disney +’s Doctor Who. Exactly what the significance of that date is still a bit of a mystery (outside of it being the meta date that the finale was scheduled for on Disney +).

Last week, we saw a post credit scene where we see Mrs. Flood bigenerate into a second woman and it is revealed that she was The Rani, the last surviving Time-Lady.

And this episode started off with The Doctor and Belinda seemingly happily married in a world that felt unreal. There was a definite flavor of Doctor Who meets WandaVision in this episode.

Conrad returned as the man who was installed by Rani as the god-like being of Wish World. Still, even Conrad felt as if he were being manipulated by Rani.

As the Doctor slowly regained his memory, bizarre things were happening all over the place. We saw the return again of Ruby, who is always a welcome sight.

This episode was weird and wild, mostly setting up the big part two next week. They also mentioned Omega, who they said was the first time lord, one who created the Time Lords in the first place. This is a villain that apparently was around in 1972.

This episode did feel like it was here just for set-up, and not its own penultimate episode of the second season. I am looking forward to seeing how this wraps up, especially since the rumors are that Ncuti Gatwa will not be back for another season.

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.

The X-Files S9 E7

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“John Doe”

John Doggett is in Mexico and can not remember anything from his past. He is the John Doe of the situation.

Robert Patrick’s performance in this episode was exceptional and I was fully engaged with him as he struggled to try and survive, from the moment someone was trying to steal his shoe until some of the local criminals who were trying to kill him.

While I thought this was really a solid episode, I do think that the villain, Caballero, a “memory vampire,” was not developed well and seemed to just show up. His first appearance in the episode made me think he was the Cigarette Smoking Man. I think that was intentional.

Thankfully, Doggett gets saved by Skinner. There was not much of Gillian Anderson in this episode, but this was one of the few times where I did not feel the absence of the former X-Files stars.

This was probably the best episode of season nine so far. It was emotional and powerful, with the one flash of memory Doggett would get was of his son.

The Last of Us S2 E6

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When Joel died in episode two, I knew that we would be getting a flashback at some point. There were just too many mysteries that we needed to see play out. In particular, what had happened with Eugene and why did Joel kill him? I saw that Joe Pantoliano was listed in the credits as Eugene so I expected we would see what happened.

I did not expect an entire episode of flashbacks. A whole episode of flashbacks that were amazing and heartbreaking at the same time.

Focusing in on Ellie’s birthdays during the years Joel and Ellie lived in Jackson, we saw how Joel tried to make each day something special for Ellie. Making her happy was a major goal for Joel. The guitar and song. The space shuttle. The dinosaur. All ways to try and make Ellie’s life a little better.

It also showed us how Joel and Ellie’s relationship was weakening. The whole situation stemmed from Joel’s lie at the end of season one involving the Fireflies. Deep down, even when Ellie was happy, she knew the truth. She just did not know the details. The scene on the porch where Ellie finally confronted Joel and he gave her the truth was tough, but had hope surrounding it as well, since Ellie said that she wanted to try to forgive Joel, even though she didn’t think she could.

That scene is made even more powerful as we know that this is the last words between the two of them ever. It is going to be the way that Ellie always remembers Joel.

The whole Eugene storyline was rough too. Joe Pantoliano delivered a great performance despite only being on screen for a few minutes. You really felt his devastation and his deep desire to see his wife one last time. Of course, it was a trigger for Ellie to solidify her thoughts about Joel. It was the look in his eyes when he lied to her.

Ellie was brutal when she outed Joel’s lies to Gail. It was a punishment for Joel by Ellie. She did not take Gail’s pain into consideration.

Next week is the season finale and I am not sure where this will go from here. For sure, the pain of losing Joel is only going to be worse now after we got the opportunity to spend a little bit more time with him and Ellie.

Duster S1 E1

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“Baltimore Changes Everything”

Josh Holloway returned to TV on HBO Max with a series called Duster. And I enjoyed it tremendously. Of course, I have a bit of a bias.

Josh Holloway was, of course, James “Sawyer” Ford on ABC’s LOST for the entire run of the series and LOST is my absolute favorite TV of all time. I have an unrequited love for the series and I have missed the characters.

So Holloway played Jim Ellis in this new show and, let’s say, he shares quite a bit of characteristics with Sawyer. When he called the little girl who was with him in the car “Peanut” I nearly lost it (no pun intended).

Perhaps I should be looking for the differences between these two characters instead of focusing on the ways that they are the same, but I have a major blind spot. Plus, they really are similar.

Jim seems to have some poor decision making skills, just like Sawyer. He had the same smart tongue. Jim just looked like an older version of Sawyer.

Jim is an expert driver obviously, and we never saw Sawyer show off much along the lines of his automotive skills (unless he did some driving in the Flash Sideways).

FBI agent Nina Hayes is a neat new character for Holloway to play off. Played by Rachel Hilson, Nina has so many obstacles to overcome. Placed right into the sexist/racist 1970s, Nina as a black woman in the FBI truly caused a stir just by walking into a police station. This dynamic is thrilling to watch.

I hope I can allow myself to see Jim Ellis as his own character and not just as an older Sawyer. However, episode one was very entertaining and I look forward to seeing more.