Category Archives: TV-G[eek]

The Last of Us S2 E1

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“Future Days”

Season two of the tense and traumatic HBO Max show, The Last of Us, just debuted and the relationship between Joel and Ellie was shaken and on the edge. And it clearly is related to the lie Joel told at the end of last season, to hide the brutality that he committed against the fireflies in order to save Ellie’s life. It has been five years later and there have been issues since that lie, bringing them to the point where they are now.

The show kicked off and ended with the same group of people, the surviving Fireflies that Joel did not murder at the hospital. They, particularly a woman named Abby, swear that they will find and kill Joel, no matter how long it takes. Apparently, how long it will take is five years as they show up at the end of the episode again.

It looks as if the choices made by Joel is the driving force of the drama for this season, whether it be from the group looking for vengeance to Ellie knowing that he has been lying to her for years. I think it is obvious that Ellie knows that Joel lied to her. You can see it in her face.

Catharine O’Hara is a member of the cast this season as Gail, who is a therapist that has been working with Joel. Joel has not been wanting to admit to anything and even after Gail mentioned her husband Eugene, who apparently Joel had to kill, he does not go into specifics (I just saw that Eugene will be played by Joe Pantoliano, so… flashbacks I assume!). He does not seem to be good at hiding it, because it sure seems as if everyone could tell that he had something he was keeping inside.

There is a new type of infected too. It was an infected that did not just run right at you, but who stalked you, hid from you, and positioned itself into proper spot. It was a creepy scene where the infected stalked Ellie.

This episode built the characters and started to place them into position to where they will face the trouble this season. The distance between Joel and Ellie is hard to watch considering how close they had become by the end of the first season.

The Leftovers S1 E4

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“B.J. and the AC”

The Leftovers focuses back on Kevin Garvey after last episode with Father Matt. Someone stole the baby Jesus from the nativity scene and Kevin is getting pressure from the Mayor to find it (or replace it). Kevin suspected that his daughter was the culprit.

Laurie and Meg come to see Kevin. Meg read a letter written by Laurie claiming that she wanted a divorce. However, Kevin wouldn’t accept it unless Laurie tells him that she wants out. He is screaming at her, and Jill sees this.

There are some scenes that I do not understand, including the group of dead bodies in the road, all dressed in white. Christine said it was just like the dream, but I must admit to not being sure which dream she was referring to. Tom has been all over the place in this episode.

This was not as strong as last week, but there are some good moments in it.

The X-Files S9 E1, E2

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“Nothing Important Happened Today”

This two-part episode kicked off season nine of the X-Files, a show that had gone through a creative overhaul to focus on the character that had been heavily introduced in season eight, such as Agent Doggett and Agent Reyes.

Cary Elwes joined the cast of X-Files as FBI Assistant Director Brad Follmer, a former lover to Monica Reyes. These first two episodes played him as kind of creepy jerk, but there may be more than what it seems.

Lucy Lawless appeared here too, but her character, Shannon McMahon, would not become a recurring character because of Lucy Lawless’s difficult pregnancy.

These episodes centered around a new conspiracy, the US Government involved in an attempt to manipulate ova to create super soldiers, one of which may or may not be baby William, Scully’s recently born son.

These episodes had their moments, but the specter of Mulder still hung over the show. In his absence, it is difficult to really get behind the new characters, and the seemingly switch of Kersh into an… ally(?) of Doggett and Scully felt weird.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #12

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“Imperfect Hosts”

The Sunday Morning Sidewalk continued this week with the second episode of Netflix’s The Sandman. I was somewhat disappointed with last week’s episode and I was worried that the commitment I have made, watching an episode a week for eleven weeks, was going to be a toil.

Thankfully, I thought episode two was a considerable step up from last week’s fare and I have a renewed vigor for the series.

One strength of this week’s episode is that it featured more of a spotlight on Morpheus himself. Sure there were other characters involved, but it felt as if they were all contributing toward the story of The Sandman, and not their own tales. Last week there was so little of Dream that it did not feel right.

I loved the introduction of Cain and Abel in the Sandman world. First, with Gregory, the dragon that Morpheus had given to them right out of the nightmare, and then with the fact that Cain continued to kill his brother, these two characters presented a neat contrast to Morpheus. Abel’s confession to Irving, the gargoyle, that he understood the roles they must play, Cain the first murderer and Abel the first victim, was profound and was a cool way to incorporate them into the dream world.

The show built some antagonists more this week, with an increased look at The Corinthian and the introduction of Ethel Cripps, an art dealer who may have sold Morpheus’s tools along the way. This allows Morpheus a group of McGuffins to chase after this season.

They also introduced a Constantine, though not the one I was familiar with. Her name was Johanna Constantine, supposedly a descendent of John. I look forward to the interaction between these characters moving forward.

Again, I am approaching this without much knowledge of the comics so this is an all-new world for me. I did a little research after the episode an discovered that the character of John that we got at the end of the episode is a major villain, Dr. Destiny. I was unaware of that and it provides a neat little Easter egg for me.

Doctor Who S2 E1 (aka Season 15)

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“The Robot Revolution” 

The Doctor returned for his second season on Disney +, which would correspond with his fifteenth season overall. This is the second season (as well as a bunch of specials) featuring Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, and Varada Sethu as his brand new companion, Belinda Chandra. However, this companion is not quite the same as any of the others.

You see, Belinda Chandra wants to be taken home. After a whole mysterious adventure on a star/planet named after her (it is a strange occurrence), Belinda insists that The Doctor return her to May 25, 2025.

Problem is… the Doctor can’t seem to get the Tardis to arrive on that date. He said the Tardis is bouncing off that date, and we see things floating (including what looked like the Eiffel Tower) in the space where earth once existed.

Something big seemed to have happened. This is clearly leading to the overarching mystery of the season, once again focused around the companion.

I do love Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor. I know that there has been backlash against the character, but I find him remarkably compelling and fully interesting. I am very much looking forward to this new season of Doctor Who. It was great last season and I can only expect it to continue this year.

The Studio S1 E4

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“The Missing Reel”

This is another great episode of this new show from Seth Rogan.

One of the reels of the new movie from Matt’s (Seth Rogan) movie studio Continental Studios disappears and Matt and Sal are on the case.

“Good artists borrow; great artists steal.”—Pablo Picasso

They use this premise to set up a noir-like story, which is absolutely hilarious. The writing on this episode is just so clever and awesome. The background music makes this all the more epic.

This show has had some special cameos so far. In this episode, we get the cameos from Zac Efron and Olivia Wilde. Olivia Wilde’s cameo is so fun because they play off her own image in the real world.

This was such a fun little mystery, and filmed as a noir, it makes it even better.

And the ending… unbelievable.

Daredevil: Born Again S1 E8

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“Isle of Joy”

I haven’t been this tense for a long time.

I was not sure where this show was heading after last week’s death of Muse, who seemed as if he was meant to be the big bad of the season.

Daredevil: Born Again then ratcheted up the suspense in the most beautiful and gut wrenching way.

Bullseye was back, and things start to be filled with anxiety. Matt was losing his temper and everything was building inside of him as unexpected mysteries began to be revealed. Mysteries dealing with why Foggy was killed.

It was not revenge. Ben Poindexter was not going after Foggy for vengeance. He was hired to take the lawyer out. But it was not Wilson Fisk. It was Vanessa.

Everything was coming out at Fisk’s Black and White Ball, amazingly enough, on the dance floor. And Poindexter, who had escaped from prison, was about to shoot Fisk… although I thought it might have been Vanessa in his sights. Matt throws himself in the path of the bullet saving Fisk. Didn’t see that coming.

I liked some of the focus on the secondary characters because there has not been enough of that this season. Especially this week was BB Urich.

We find out so much more about Vanessa. And she shot Adam dead in front of Wilson.

I just did not know what was going to happen on this episode and I was so pleased with how much suspense this show was. Just fabulous with this penultimate episode of the season.

The X-Files S8 E21

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“Existence”

After so many years of me screaming for Mulder to shoot Cigarette Smoking Man in the head and not getting it, it was incredibly satisfying to have Skinner shoot Krychek in the head. Finally! This character was long overdue to meet his maker, and the fact that it was Skinner who got to do it really paid off the torture that Krychek put him through recently.

Baby William was born in this finale of season 8, and, after a lengthy chase and dangerous situation after situation, the Billy Miles led group let the baby alone and left without him. I suppose the baby did not come out like an alien as we had seen in some other births over the last season.

The final scene with Mulder and Scully sharing a kiss with the baby in her arms was excellent and felt very much like an ending. I know there is much more with these two, even if they are stepping back in season 9, but had they not come back, this would have made a very welcome close to the pair.

I did enjoy Doggett standing up to Kersh. It was clear that Doggett and Reyes were going to be the next generation of the X-Files at the FBI and that Kersh will be a major antagonist for them. I am still not necessarily looking forward to the ninth season, but we’ll give it the same chance that I gave this season.

As I have said in previous season 8 write-ups, this turned out to be a better season than I remembered. I bonded more with Doggett than I did the first time around, and while I am still not fond of Agent Reyes, I am willing to give her a chance.

So there are one full season left and two shortened seasons in this rewatch. I believe the count was 36 remaining episodes of the X-Files. I may have to do rewatches of the two feature films from the franchise too before the end of this rewatch.

The White Lotus S3 E8

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“Amor Fati”

No justice for Tonya, after all.

I do not think I have been as disappointed in a character as I am with Belinda. Going from a likable character to a blackmailer was an unsatisfactory ending for me. I really had hoped Gary/Greg would get his comeuppance, but all he had to do was pay some money.

Rick and Chelsea ended in such a tragic manner. I had guessed the possibility of Rick being the son of the man who he had confronted last episode, but I did not see it paying off as it did.

The Ratliffs all survived even though it did not look like they were going to. Lochlan sure looked as if he had passed on, but I guess he was able to shake it off. Not sure how that will end. I just see a lot of stress for that group moving forward.

The three blondes had a nice scene together as they spoke from the heart and rebuilt their friendship. I still do not see how that trio really fit into the story well. Their final scene together at dinner was beautifully acted though.

I found this season’s overarching story to be the worst of the three seasons, but I did like a lot more characters this year. However, I may not be a fan of many of them at the end of the episode.

The X-Files S8 E18, E19, E20

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“Vienen”

“Alone”

“Essence”

With just a handful of episodes remaining in season 8 of The X-Files, I wanted to get them churned out. I have been doing this re-watch of the X-Files since September of 2023 and I am down to one more episode for this season, leaving just season 9, 10, & 11.

My memory of season 8 during its original run was that I did not like it much, but I have to say that this season was better than I had remembered. I have made this speculation before, but it seems obvious that my original thought on this season was the lack of Mulder and what seemed like a replacement in John Doggett. John Doggett has won me over during this re-watch as I was not angry at Mulder not being there.

Of these three episodes, they all had that old X-Files feel to them. With “Vienen” featuring the final appearance of the Black Oil and the ultimate firing of Mulder by Deputy Director Kersh, the whole alien conspiracy felt like it was back, even though it was different and no longer being directed by CSM.

“Alone” was a pretty decent monster-of-the-week tale that had Mulder truly put his trust in Doggett, in a life and death moment. It was a stress-inducing episode where I was reminded of Dr. Curt Connors, aka The Lizard, from Amazing Spider-Man. Oh, those pesky scientists.

“Essence” is a part one of the season finale where we focus in on those people trying to get to Scully’s baby. It reclaimed the old days of the conspiracy as we learn about a baby/alien cloning program and how Billy Miles is like the unstoppable Terminator (ironic since Robert Patrick is on the other end of that). This one was pulling in the old guard too as, of all people, Alex Krychek showed up to help out the good guys team. I still would have loved to see someone put a bullet in Krychek’s head, but I guess he did help things out.

I hope to finish off season 8 either tomorrow or some time early next week. Season 9 has 20 episodes. Season 10 has six episodes and season 11 has 10 episodes, meaning that I am down to 37 episodes remaining in this re-watch of the X-Files. As I said, it has been going since September 2023 so we will be done with this under two years.

What We Do In The Shadows S1 E5, E6

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“Animal Control”

“Baron’s Night Out”

Watched a couple of episodes of What We Do In the Shadows season one this morning. One that I think was very strong and another that was kind of weak.

Episode five was entitled “Animal Control” and it had two main stories. Laszlo had changed into a bat and was knocked unconscious by his neighbors. They called Animal Control and Laszlo is placed in a cage. The second story included Nadja and her old love Jeff, who had been resurrected multiple times.

Episode six, “Baron’s Night Out,” was about the Baron wanting to see the sights of New York. It ends with the drugged out Baron accidentally getting burned to death by the sun.

While there were some funny bits in “Animal Control” I did not find it to be much more than a fluff episode. I enjoyed “Baron’s Night Out” considerably more. I was thinking about the sun being the way the Baron died, but I did not expect it right at the end. When he was playing with the rays of sunlight cracking through the roof.

There are four more episodes in the first season.

The X-Files S8 E17

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“Empedocles”

This episode featured Monica Reyes, investigating a case that she believed had some connection to John Doggett’s son’s death. She brought Mulder into the fray, causing more tension in the relationship of Doggett and Mulder.

I am not looking forward to season nine because of the increased use of Reyes. After just a couple of appearances, she does not appeal to me too much.

A big reason that Reyes bothers me, I think, is that she’s not Scully. There are a couple of scenes between Mulder and Scully in this episode and they are so charming and fun that it really hurts the remainder of the episode when they are not together. Scully spends the episode in the hospital from pregnancy issues. Their banter over the “Pizza Guy” was excellent.

Robert Patrick does a great job with Doggett and his anger and grief. You can feel his conflict within the skepticism he holds about the supernatural aspects.

I did like the advancement between Mulder and Doggett.

Season 8 has just four more episodes left.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #11

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“Sleep of the Just”

Sunday Morning Sidewalk started a new series this week, The Sandman, from Netflix. Based on a classic DC Comics comic book from Neil Gaiman, The Sandman was a show that I had always intended to watch, but just never got around to doing. It has eleven episodes on Netflix so it will be our new Sunday Morning Sidewalk into early June.

At least, that is the current schedule. I do hope that the remainder of The Sandman is an improvement over this first episode, because I was not very impressed with it.

Before I go into the negatives, the show looked absolutely amazing. The visuals were stunning and it was clear that this show did not skimp on a budget for it.

However, there was so much exposition that I had a difficult time keeping my focus on the story the show was telling. It bounced around at first and did not establish the feel well. Then, the story moved on to Charles Dance, a well known character actor playing a man named Roderick Burgess, who was able to capture Morpheus in some contraption. He then holds him for ten years.

The problem with this was that Burgess’s motivation was very muddy. Did he want his deceased son back from the dead or did he want immortality and wealth? It seemed as if he wanted all of that in order to free Morpheus. Poor Morpheus had to lay inside this glass container naked for such a long time. Get the man a blanket at least.

Then there was another son, Alex, who was ignored and verbally abused by Burgess. Alex accidentally killed his father and then he held on to Morpheus for an undetermined amount of time. The world suffered from some kind of sleep sickness, but the show really did not go into any specifics on that.

Oh, Boyd Holbrook is here too, as some kind of figure that opposes Morpheus. IMDB tells me his name is The Corinthian. I was not a Sandman comics reader so I do not know whom that was. He seemed to be a potential future antagonist. Not sure why.

The story of this episode was a mess and I was very disappointed in the show. The main story of the Burgess family did not grasp my attention and did not seem to be a worth story to kick off this series with. Again, I do not know if this is a vital comic storyline adapted or if this was completely new for the series, but I did not enjoy it much.

I do hope this gets better as it moves along or else I might have to looking into the possibility of adjusting the Sunday Morning Sidewalk schedule.

The Studio S1 E3

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“The Note”

The third episode of the behind the scenes, meta show, The Studio, was hilarious. This is yet another huge success for Apple TV.

This episode had Matt, in his role as the head of the studio, needing to give a note on a new film directed by Ron Howard. Matt is afraid to do so because he had done something stupid years before after viewing A Beautiful Mind with Howard at a friends and family viewing party.

The note was that they needed to cut a sequence at the end of Howard’s movie that was dragging down the film, a sequence that everyone who saw it, hated. However, no one could face up with Ron Howard and tell him. Apparently, it was a sequence in honor of his dead cousin.

Ron Howard, who appeared last season on Only Murders in the Building as himself in a fabulous cameo, is awesome here and Anthony Mackie guest stars as himself, the star of the aforementioned film.

Kathryn Hahn is here quite a bit too and you can never go wrong with more Kathryn Hahn.

This pull-back-the -curtain series has been really fun so far and I have enjoyed them tremendously.

Daredevil: Born Again S1 E7

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So the latest episode of Daredevil: Born Again dropped on Disney + and, for the first time during this series, I am of mixed minds on an episode.

There was a final confrontation between Daredevil and Muse. We confirmed what we all expected back when we saw the kid in the book signing for Heather Glenn, the kid who approached her and hoped to have her work him into her client list. That kid, Bastian, turned out to be Muse, and he was coming to Heather with terrible plans for her.

Matt discovered Muse’s connection to Heather and Daredevil rushed to her aid, arriving just in time. Daredevil and Muse engaged in a fight in Heather’s office, but before it went too far, Heather recovered the gun that Muse had brought with him and shot him multiple times, killing him.

While the confrontation was tense and suspenseful, and the fight was cool and brutal as always, the death of Muse felt like a missed opportunity. It seemed as if this death was rushed and that there was so much more that could have been mined out of that character that I can’t deny that I felt disappointed at the resolution.

Kingpin’s manipulations of the situation to make his Anti-Vigilante Task Force look better to the people of New York.

This did feel like it went too fast. This could have been spread out over several episodes and, while it was a great battle and anxious moments, it seemed as if it could have been more.