Category Archives: TV-G[eek]

The X-Files S8 E14, E15

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“This is Not Happening”

“Deadalive”

These two episodes played as a two-parter that would lead to the return of Fox Mulder to the land of the living, literally.

Mulder was abducted by aliens at the end of the seventh season. David Duchovny had decided that he wanted to move on from The X-Files and a contract dispute with FOX resulted in Mulder being written out of the show.

However, everything was settled and Duchovny agreed to be in 11 episodes of season 8. These two episodes were the way they brought the character back from the abduction.

It was a rush of emotions as Mulder was missing, discovered dead, buried for three months before being exhumed and placed on life support. Eventually, the removal of life support is what brought Mulder back fully.

Does any of this make any sense? Not really. The story was all over the place, including the rebirth (?) of former X-Files character Billy Miles, who was abducted at the same time as Mulder was. How did Mulder survive being buried alive for three months? Or was he buried dead? No autopsy? No embalming? If you examine this plot too closely, there are a lot of nagging issues.

Having Duchovny back makes you happily ignore those problems. The final scene with Mulder and Scully was exceptional and worth the wait. Mulder joking about not knowing Scully was awesome and right in Mulder’s character.

The Leftovers S1 E3

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“Two Boats and A Helicopter”

This episode of The Leftovers was different than the first two and focused on a different character, to outstanding results.

Christopher Eccleston appeared as Reverend Matt Jamison, whose church was facing financial struggles. In fact, it was up for sale by the bank after foreclosure. The bank had allowed him to continue with his church but once there was a buyer, he would need to get out.

Of course, this episode’s conflict began when there was a buyer.

The bank allowed Matt a chance to beat the price, in cash, of the other buyer, but he had a deadline of the next day at the end of business hours.

We see the perspective of Matt through the episode as he desperately tried to find the $135,000 he was going to need. He wound up with $20,000 given to him by Kevin Garvey Sr, the former police chief that had been buried in the Garveys’ backyard.

He took that money and went to a casino, playing roulette three times, winning each. He made $160,000.

That was when the real troubles began. Another patron of the casino tried to rob him, but Matt fought back violently. Then, Matt stopped to help a member of the Guilty Remnant who had been hit in the face with a rock by a passing by vehicle. Before he could finish the call to 9-1-1, the vehicle returned and hit Matt in the face with a rock as well.

Matt had a series of prophetic dreams and memories of the past. When he awoke, he rushed back to his car and took the money to the bank. He came to find out that he had been in the hospital for three days and the church had been sold… to the Guilty Remnant.

This was an excellent episode with a stellar performance from Eccleston. The roulette wheel sequence was tense and filled with suspense. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen as the wheel went around. I picked out the guy who attacked Matt… saw that one coming, but Matt’s response was brutal and unexpected. His kindness nailed him though when he stopped to help those people. I knew something was going tohappen.

At the end, all I could think of was his housekeeper, who he hadn’t paid for three weeks, and who he asked to watch over his comatose wife on Monday when he went to the casino. He left her there for three days and we never found out what happened with her.

This was very different from the first two episodes and shows an effective style of storytelling.

The Studio S1 E1, E2

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“The Promotion”

“The Oner”

The new Apple TV + comedy from Seth Rogan is called The Studio. Seth Rogan played Matt Remick, the newly appointed head of Continental Studios, is hopeful to be able to keep movies relevant and alive.

The first two episodes were hilarious. Apple TV + has had some of the best comedic shows of recent times (Shrinking, Ted Lasso) and it seems as if they have had another great one.

The show is filled with a bunch of “inside baseball” references in movie making and it works with Seth Rogan’s bumbling, almost slapstick, behavior.

My personal favorite of these two episodes was The Oner, which showed a film set trying to get a complicated “oner” scene shot, fighting against time to shoot it as the sun went down. The only trouble is that Matt was constantly in the wrong place at the wrong time, causing delays and conflict. Of course, the whole episode itself was shot as a oner.

The show also starred Catherine O’Hara, Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn, and Chase Sui Wonders. The first two episodes featured guest appearances from Steve Buscemi, Bryan Cranston, Paul Dano, Martin Scorsese, Charlize Theron, Greta Lee, Sarah Polley, Peter Berg, and David Krumholtz.

I am curious how this show would play to those who are not into the meta world of filmmaking, yet I found it extremely funny and clever work.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #10

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“Points”

Episode ten of the Band of Brothers brought the season to an end.

This episode dealt with the end of the war in Germany, dealing with the Easy Company having to handle the fact that they were still active without any enemies to fight.

There are some lovely spots that they recorded this episode at in Austria, creating a beauty that has not been seen much during the gritty, violent series.

This episode did feel like a lot of falling actions. It had a couple of powerful moments, in particular surrounding the shooting of Sergeant Grant.

Episode nine felt like the real emotional conclusion to this series as the trip to the concentration camp showed what they were fighting for.

This made sense as a concluding episode because of the situation. I did like the ending voice over from Winters that gave us the insights on the surviving members and the words from the real men that these characters were based on. This was so much better than the boxed text that sometimes pops on the screen at the end of films based on true events. This was much more active and kinetic.

This brings the first arc of Sunday Morning Sidewalk to an end. Next week, post #11 will start off with a new series. Starting next week on April 6, I will begin the watch of the Netflix series The Sandman, which has eleven episodes and will run into June.

Daredevil: Born Again S1 E5, E6

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“With Intent”

“Excessive Force”

Two episodes released tonight on Disney +. A definite treat.

The first episode felt like it was such a separate episode, something that did not fit into the rest of the season. And it was great. A bank robbery is something we have seen before, but with Matt Murdock in the bank, the robbers are going to have a bad day.

Yusuf Khan is the assistant bank manager who just turned down Matt Murdock’s loan. Of course, he can not stop talking about his daughter Kamala. He even name dropped Ms. Marvel. It seems as if no Marvel super hero can get loans. Not just poor Sam Wilson.

I actually shivered when Matt, in the red mask, breaks the leg of the main bank robber. It was a painful blow.

I actually loved this episode even though there was no Daredevil. We got a lot of Matt Murdock using his powers in clever ways to save the day in a hugely subtle way.

The second episode really played the two sides of the same coin as both Matt and Wilson Fisk head back to the old days, Matt donning the Daredevil costume and Fisk beating poor Adam into oblivion.

We also get more with Muse. We learn about his victims and how his art is using the blood of his victims mixed with the paint. He faced off with Daredevil over the body of Hector’s niece, who was about to become Muse’s next victim.

Another cool cameo… Swordsman. Jacques “Jack” Duquesne himself makes an appearance to discuss items with Fisk at a fund raiser.

Two great episodes. I want more from Muse.

The X-Files S8 E13

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“Per Manum”

The episode focused in on Scully’s pregnancy and a potential conspiracy surrounding the deaths of other pregnant women. The episode was quite tense and does a really great job of keeping the storyline uncertain. The X-Files is exceptional at keeping the story hazy, where you are never quite sure what has happened. The truth continues to be an elusive thing.

Scully has kept her pregnancy a secret from everyone except for Skinner, which I guess I did not realize. I felt for John Doggett, being kept in the dark even though he has been nothing but honorable during his time with the X-Files. I guess you could say that Scully’s distrust goes deep, and understandably so.

We got a series of flashbacks too to scenes between Scully and Mulder, when he let her know that he had discovered Scully’s ova, but doctors had told him they were not viable. A second opinion gave Scully hope and she asked Mulder to be the father. These flashbacks were new scenes film with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson and were strong scenes showing how connected these characters were.

The episode featured the debut of recurring character Knowle Rohrer, played by Adam Baldwin. Rohrer is an agent that Doggett knew, but who has potential ties to the CIA. His motivations were certainly up for question and his physical appearance felt close to Krychek, which was slightly disturbing for me.

This did have an old school feel to it and brought that classic X-Files episode.

What We Do in the Shadows S1 E3

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“Werewolf Feud”

The third episode of this series took its cue from Twilight and highlighted the conflict between vampires and werewolves in the most hilarious way.

First, can we stop a second to talk about Laszlo’s bush sculpting? I nearly fell over laughing that entire time as he proudly lead the tour of his bushes trimmed into the likeness of the vulvas of his myriad of lovers. If that was not enough, he came across his mother’s bush which had been pissed upon by a werewolf.

Okay, so that was insanely funny. As was the showdown with the wolfpack and the vampires, following the agreements of the truce between the Staten Island Vampires and Werewolves. This led to a one on one match with Nandor and a remarkable large werewolf. Nandor used a squeaky toy to cause the werewolf to leap off the roof, claiming victory. So much wonderfully clever writing on this episode.

The B-plot of the episode was every bit as excellent as Colin, the energy vampire, meets up with Evie, the emotional vampire, and there did not seem as if there was enough for both of them at work. Colin and Evie decided to work together and became a couple.

Again, this was exceptionally funny as the pair played off each other in their attempt to “feed.” Even the break up scene was hilarious as Evie wanted just one more taste from Colin.

This episode was much better than the previous one. It had two stories and did not feel like too much was crammed into the episode. This had a nice flow to it and it was really funny.

The White Lotus S3 E6

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“Denials”

Only two more episodes remaining in season 3 for The White Lotus. And things are starting to ramp up.

Still my favorite storyline has been the Gary/Greg story. He is setting up a dinner party and he is inviting some people that he feels he has some issues with. I have a feeling this dinner party could be a major event on the show.

Belinda getting caught in bed by her son was funny.

Saxton and Lochlin struggle to remember what happened on the boat with Chloe and, as memories are coming back, Saxton is feeling repulsed by what happened in the heat of the moment.

Rick is getting himself invited to Sritala under a false pretense to see her husband, whom he shared a dark back story with. Rick has a gun with him. This does not feel like it is going to end well.

Speaking about not ending well, Timothy has been having some dark, suicidal or homicidal thoughts. The troubles awaiting him back in the States are weighing on him, and both Victoria and Saxton told him that they couldn’t go on without the money. They had no idea what they were saying or how true it was about to come, but it was in Timothy’s head. The Ratcliff family is heading to that dinner party too.

My least favorite story continues to be Jaclyn, Kate and Laurie. The three blondes were fighting over Valentin staying the night. I do love these actresses, but I just don’t see what this story has to do with anything.

The Leftovers S1 E2

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“Penguin One, Us Zero”

The second episode of The Leftovers picked up the storylines from the pilot and continued them. One of the major features was Kevin Garvey and his own personal struggles. It seems as if Garvey is afraid of losing his mind and he thought he was seeing things that were not there. He had some issues with a bagel as well as the problem about the dog shooting that he participated in the other night.

Kevin’s son, Tom, is in his own trouble. He was hooked up with Wayne’s cult, and he killed an agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, and Cults who was just about to execute Christine. Tom and Christine escaped to a gas station, where they expected to meet Wayne. However, the gas station attendant was already dead, spooking Tom. Wayne pulled up before Tom could complete a phone call to his dad. Wayne instructed Tom to protect Christine and for them to go on the run until he called them back.

The man who shot the dogs came to Garvey’s house wanting to have Garvey join him the next night to shoot some more dogs. There was a pack he had discovered near the school. This is a strange piece of the story so far, especially since no one else seems to know who this bald man was. It is not just Garvey’s imagination though as his daughter Jill sees him too.

The Mayor visited Garvey’s father, Kevin Sr., at the institution and Garvey showed up while she was there. What connection does Lucy have with Kevin Sr?

It’s still early to wonder about the character played by Carrie Coon. She is carrying a gun, apparently related to Father Matt and is interviewing people about people close to them who had disappeared.

I feel as if the show will start to pick up more over the next few episodes and I am committed to watching it.

The X-Files S8 E12

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“Medusa”

Setting an X-Files episode in the subway system is a solid local. I read some criticism that the subway they showed was way too clean and pristine, but I have never been in a subway before so that is something that I would not have thought about without the comment.

Scully and Doggett were here to investigate a death of a man on the train whose body had been eaten away. They received plenty of push back from the people in charge of the subway, who were not prepared to shut down the subway and cause chaos among the people who used it.

Doggett went down into the subway tunnels as Scully stayed behind to man the center. Though not mentioned, I wondered if this was because she was pregnant and she did not want to potentially expose herself to an unknown contagion. That does not feel like Scully, but it could be the underlying tone of the situation.

Transit police Lieutenant Bianco had lots of negative things to say about Scully, and it felt as if he did not want to be taking orders from a woman. I do not know if he was meant to be shown as misogynistic or just a jerk who did not want to be there, but he was back talking her and running her down to Doggett through much of the episode.

I am not sure how I felt about the end of the episode. It seemed that the mute boy came out of nowhere and the end of the medusa, the cause of the contagion, was killed so easily. It did feel too quick and did not develop it enough.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #9

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“Why We Fight”

I was wondering if this was an episode we were going to get.

When the soldiers of Easy Company were sounding like they were questioning the reason they were fighting this war in the first place, I knew we were getting the scenes we would get.

Concentration Camps.

It was tough to watch the horror of the soldiers as they walked into the camp and realized what the people who were there were going through at the hands of the Nazis. The imagery the show provided in this time was heartbreaking.

The soldiers brought the German town folk to the camp to help clean up and bury the bodies of the Jews that were dead. The shock of what the people saw was powerful. I can’t imagine the idea that they realized that they were the bad guys the whole time.

The episode focused on Nixon, who received bad news from home… his wife is divorcing him and taking his dog. Nixon spent much of the episode drinking, a specific whiskey only. He spends much of the episode searching for it.

What We Do in the Shadows S1 E2

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“City Council”

The second episode of the vampire show What We Do in the Shadows continues to be very funny, although I have to admit that it was not quite as funny as the pilot episode.

This was directed by Jemaine Clement instead of Taika Waititi, and you could see the subtle differences. Still very funny, but the plot had a bunch of things happen that could have been expanded upon more.

I did find the ridiculousness of the four vampires heading to a City Council meeting in an attempt of taking over Staten Island because the Baron wanted them to was out of this world. When Nandor approached the microphone and, talking way to close to it, proclaimed himself as the ruler of the land, it was remarkably funny. The fact that the council members did not even blink when he came up was a commentary about the weirdos that they must see on a regular basis.

Nadja turned the LARPing Jenna into a vampire after seeing her being mistreated by the others in her LARPing group. Charmed by her youth and attitude, Nadja bites her and shares her own blood with Jenna. Jenna reacts poorly in the last scene of the show. I have never been a big fan of vomit jokes, but this worked well for me.

Breaking the three main vampires off into their own storylines may have been too much for the shorter time of this series, because all of the tales felt a touch rushed. I would rather see more crossover from the crew. Still, this was funny and funny makes up for a lot of issues.

Daredevil: Born Again S1 E4

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“Sic Semper Systema”

We are getting closer and closer to Matt Murdock resuming his crusade as the Man Without Fear. After the death of White Tiger at the episode’s end last week, this week Matt is facing a lot of struggles.

Matt wants justice for Hector, and this leads him throughout the episode. He comforted Hector’s niece, who came wanting to see her uncle. Matt would not let her. Groundwork being set for the niece to assume the mantel of White Tiger, as she does in the comics.

Matt’s new case is a tough one. His client insists that he get probation, despite this being a multiple offense. Of course, it was just stealing caramel corn. These scenes between these two were quite powerful and, you could tell, spoke to Matt. Oh, and the client, who was on tape stealing the caramel corn, asked if it could have been Skrulls. LOL!

Matt went to see Frank Castle, aka Punisher, after he found a bullet with the skull on the casing. We all knew Frank had not been the one to shoot Hector, but Frank did not seem to anxious to come out of his bunker to help Matt out. The scene with these two was the best scenes of the show so far, and that is saying something considering how strong the acting has been so far.

We also saw Wilson Fisk struggling with his instincts. He does not seem to fit in the role of the mayor very well. Certainly Adam, the man who Vanessa had an affair with, would agree as Fisk has him locked up in a cage.

And… watching Fisk desperately trying to keep himself in control as this group of children sang to him (terribly, by the way) was funny, as was Fisk’s rapid departure after the first song.

Two-part episode next week. I have a feeling we’ll see the costume make its full return.

Plus….. there was Muse!

What We Do in the Shadows S1 E1

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“Pilot”

After adding The Leftovers to the watchlist at EYG, I came across What We Do in the Shadows on Disney +. I loved the Taika Waititi written/directed movie that this was based on, and it was another show that I have heard many praises about, so I decided to add this to The Leftovers and The X-Files rotation.

What We Do in the Shadows currently has six season and 61 episodes.

What a hoot this show was. The story is there are four vampires living together in Staten Island and there is a documentary crew filming their every day lives. The vampires are Nandor the Relentless, Lazlo and Nadja, who are married, and Colin Robinson, the energy vampire. There is also Nandor’s familiar, Guillermo, who served Nandor for ten years.

The writing of the dialogue of this pilot episode was fantastic, with such a clever spin on the idea of vampires and building upon the movie. It was a hilarious episode, where I laughed out loud multiple times. You can definitely feel the Taika Waititi flavor of the show, as he did direct the episode. The pilot was written by Jemaine Clement, who co-wrote, co-directed and co-starred in the original movie with Taika Waititi.

I am curious to see if this series can maintain this level of humor and creativity over a long run of episodes. I can see this being a show where the story runs dry after awhile. It is an intriguing set up and I want to see where they take it from here.

The Leftovers S1 E1

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“Pilot”

I needed some more TV shows to watch. Of course, I have a bunch of shows that I watch during the week, such as Daredevil: Born Again, The White Lotus and Yellowjackets. However, with the rewatch/new watch shows, I have finished Battlestar Galactica, Bates Motel, Dark Matter and others leaving me just The X-Files to watch. I decided it was time to dip into the queue and see what series I could add to the X-Files.

I have been interested in The Leftovers for awhile now. I have heard positive word of mouth about the series, and it did not hurt that it was from Damon Lindelof, one of the driving forces behind LOST, my favorite show of all time.

The Leftovers has been on my MAX list for awhile now and I thought this was the perfect time to start this show.

My first thoughts was that the Russo Brothers must have taken inspiration from this show for Avengers: Endgame, because there were so many early episode similarities. The disappearance of the people from the earth right down to the THREE YEARS LATER that came on the screen. (Yes, Endgame was FIVE YEARS LATER, but that is semantics).

The world we were being introduced to had that same grim feel that Endgame had in its first moments where we see the post blip. This was with only 2% of the population of earth disappearing. I can’t imagine how that would feel, when people you know were just gone, with no explanation. Avengers: Endgame could blame Thanos. Where were the answers for these people?

The pilot began to introduce us to characters, and getting to know a large ensemble is a challenging task. This show did it very well as I was engaged with everyone as the episode progressed. There were plenty of mysteries and untold stories that will be revealed, I’m sure. The trauma from everyone in this town was obvious.

There are three seasons of The Leftovers with 28 episodes overall. There were several moments in the pilot that caused me to shout out. I am sure that this will live up to the hype.