Category Archives: TV-G[eek]

Silo S2 E1

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“The Engineer”

Apple TV + series Silo returned for its second season. The first season was an unexpected treat when it first came out on Apple TV + so I was excited to see what a second season had in store for us.

Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) who was sent out of the silo in the first season finale, set up by those in power to get rid of her, went walking across the outside world. She discovered that there were more silos than the one that she came from. As she went to the nearest one, she had to walk through a field littered with skeletons and rotting corpses, belonging to a group of people we saw at the episode’s beginning, who were forcing their way out of their silo in a revolution. A revolution that did not go well. Looks like the air is toxic after all.

As Juliette entered the next silo, she discovered that it was abandoned and run down. She went into the silo, exploring the structure as we got flashbacks of Juliette as a child, learning to work the recycle center.

The episode had a ton of tension and nervous energy as Juliette made her way through the darkness and decay of this silo, picking up on signs as she went. Part of the reason these scenes were as unnerving as they were was that most of the episode was silent. Except for the flashbacks, of course, most of Juliette’s time in the silo contained little to no dialogue.

That is, of course, until she heard that music playing and went to find a big vault door, which she tried to open. Failing, she was ready to leave when she heard a man speak to her, telling her that he understood why she tried to open the door, but if she tried it again, he would kill her.

For me, I would say, sure thing… no problem… enjoy your life in there. I get a feeling that Juliette is not going to just let this guy live his life behind steel doors. Or at least her curiosity will get the better of her. Who is this guy and why did he respond to her in such a way?

We did not see any of the characters from the original silo we had been introduced to in season one, but there was plenty of story taking place here to satisfy. A solid season premiere from a solid sci-fi show that more people should know about.

Cobra Kai S6 Part 2 E9, E10

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“Blood In Blood Out”

“Eunjangdo”

So I watched episodes 6-8 earlier this morning and I was truly underwhelmed. I would go as far as say that I disliked E6 while not being much of a fan of E8, with 7 saving the threesome a bit. I was disappointed and I even went as far as to wonder if they should have ended the series after season five with that tremendous finale.

Well, I’ll shut up now.

Episodes 9 and 10 of Cobra Kai Season 6 just said ‘hold my beer.’

Holy crap. What an amazing two episodes in a row. Everything that was weak about the first three I saw this morning was totally crushed in these two episodes. I can’t believe I have to wait for the next episode, whenever the part three of the season is released.

The show amped up the karate fights in these two episodes and ended the stupid conflicts that I complained about in the post this morning. The Miyagi-Do crew finally just put their cards on the table and got the stupid arguments and hurt feelings aside after their team got kicked in the first match of the tag team competition. The tag team battle was creative and awesome.

With the tag team competition done, and Cobra Kai out… you knew something was going to happen to bring them back in. Performance enhancing drugs for one of the non-important teams brought Cobra Kai back into the mixture with the Iron Dragons and Miyagi-Do.

Then, that twist led to something the show has not had in a long time, an epic all-out karate war with everybody fighting each other. It was something that Cobra Kai the show had been well known for, but hadn’t used lately. Certainly not on this scale, with the whole thing broadcast to the world.

And you could tell that someone was getting that knife that Kreese was brandishing all over the place. The show wouldn’t have kept showing it if it was not going to be used. I was afraid that Daniel was going to get that blade as it was being set up, but I never thought that Kwon would taste the dagger. I was sure it was going to be the giant Iron Dragon guy getting killed. But no, Kwon was stabbed int he chest and fell upon his own weapon, Kreese’s dagger which he had picked up from the floor.

Of course, Kreese had every intention of using that dagger to kill Terry Silver, but when he realized that he had dropped it, Kreese decided that they had to have an old man fight, hand to hand.

I may have actually grown to like Chozen and Kim Da-Eun as a pair. Them fighting side by side was cool, even if the show did make Da-Eun flip as a character really quickly. Reminded me of Hawk’s face turn a few seasons ago. Kind of our of nowhere.

Oh, and by the way, Daniel’s dream with Mr. Miyagi making the cameo was out of this world. Make you wonder about AI.

Unbelievable two episodes, especially after the first three of this second part of the season were so iffy. I am completely back on board with the show and can’t wait for the final five episodes.

Cobra Kai S6 Part 2 E6, E7, E8

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“Benvinguts a Barcelona”

“Dog in the Fight”

“Snakes on a Plane”

I watched the first three episodes of the second part of season six of Cobra Kai that came out on Netflix this weekend. The show had split into three sections for the final season. This middle part deals with the Sekai Taikai tournament in Barcelona, Spain.

Among the first three episodes, I thought there was one good one, and the other two were disappointing.

I thought episode seven was pretty good, as Daniel gets kidnapped by Kreese and put in a dog cage. The questions surrounding Miyagi’s past, which was a distraction in the first half of the season, was actually the only thing here that was interesting at all.

The rest of these episodes have so many immature, dumb moments. The first one started out with fart jokes. It went downhill quickly. The childish arguments between characters were meant to be conflicts, but they instead just seemed annoying. The conflicts were either easily resolvable, or not even worth the time.

Chozen arriving at the Sekai Taikai drunk was embarrassing. The whole issue between Hawk and Demetri is unrealistic. The apparent relationship between Chozen and Kim Da-Eun came out of nowhere as she took a totally flipped personality. The issue between Robbie and Miguel felt repetitive. Same with Sam and Tory. Devin’s whole arc is her guilt over giving Kenny a laxative and she drops that news to him over the phone.

There are a bunch of new karate fighters around with zero personality and crammed in stories, including one giant fighter whose sensei uses physical violence to train him.

They explained away Kreese’s availability here as the brushed aside the prison escape. And I guess Terry Silver is back, also somehow out of jail and backing one of the other dojos in the Sekai Taikai.

These have really taken a step back from previous episodes and I hope that it is just a matter of having to many episodes in a season (they have 15 overall, more than they usually have) and that this is not the way the remainder of the season would go, because, right now, I wish this show would have ended after the outstanding finale of season 5.

Shrinking S2 E6

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 “In a Lonely Place”

Jason Segal and Harrison Ford are absolutely on fire in this episode. Jimmy and Paul are hilarious and the writing was spectacular. They were here as kind of the commentors on the things going down.

Lots of relationships were straightened out here. Gaby and her sister. Sean and his father. Alice and Louis, via Brian.

However, it seems as if Liz is approaching a major conflict that might affect her marriage. I don’t like that. I hope that this show does not take it in the way that it looks like.

I want to go back to Segal and Ford. When they paddled up in the boat to see Sean’s father, I thought I was going to lose it. They are such a fantastic pairing and they are written with such smart dialogue.

I wonder where this season is headed as it feels like a bunch of the story has been wrapped up. It was extremely entertaining, but not sure where it is going.

Bates Motel S5 E9, E10

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“Visiting Hours”

“The Cord”

The rewatch of Bates Motel came to an end tonight as I watched episode nine and ten of season five. I did not remember any details of this finale so I had no idea of what was going to happen.

I was afraid that I would not feel that the end of this show would have a satisfying end. I was wrong.

It has been fairly clear the last season that this is not a prequel to the movie Psycho. It just had the character of Norman Bates and the setting in place, but they did not feel the need to keep things so they would line up with the movie.

I mean, Norman died at the end. That would make it difficult to have the movie come after this.

The scene between brothers with Dylan killing Norman in self defense, because Norman wanted him to. Dylan was shocked by the corpse of Norma at the dinner table. Freddie Highmore and Max Thieriot brought some amazing emotion and energy to this final confrontation.

What did feel like a letdown was the end of Alex Romero. The ending was always going to be about the Bates brothers and not Romero, but I loved Romero and Norma as a couple as I have mentioned several times so I wanted Alex to have some kind of retribution. Of course that was not going to happen. Alex’s emotions over the Norma body is what cost him his life. He should have killed Norman first, but he was not thinking, he was still in total grief.

I was very happy that Dylan and Emma wound up together. I was a little worried that they would no longer be together because Emma was mad about her mother being murdered by Norman. However, the end of the episode showed Emma, her daughter and Dylan meeting up and they shared a kiss. This was a wonderful moment that made me very happy. At least one of the great couples from Bates Motel made it through the series.

I am glad that I have made it through this series. It was a quality show that flew under the radar while it was on TV.

Bates Motel S5 E7, E8

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“Inseparable”

“The Body”

So much for Chick being the author of the novel Psycho was based on. One bullet to the head from Alex Romero took care of that.

I really do not remember how this is resolved, so I cannot begin to know where this is heading. I just have two more episodes left for the season and it is thrilling. I’m sure I watched this when it was released on A & E, but I legit do not remember much of this.

These two episodes had so many massive moments that it took my breath away.

The whole scene where Norman, as Norma, attacked Dylan and Norman prevented his other side from stabbing him was insane. I was telling Dylan to get out of there, I was so worried about him. Dylan is the conscience of the story, the heart of this family. His loyalty to his brother, despite all, is amazing. I do not remember Dylan’s fate, but I really do not want him to die. I want him to go back to Seattle with Emma and raise their baby girl, Katie. I feel a foreboding that those thoughts are pipe dreams.

Alex Romero is another character that I do not want to see come to an end. I think he is going to end up dying, but his will to come back for vengeance against Norman is downright Shakespearian. Alex is so damaged that you could see the pain constantly. The look on his face as Chick was telling him about what Norman had done (digging up Norma’s body and building a ‘mausoleum’ for her int he basement freezer) was very telling. There was one shot where his face looked to be like death itself, pale and conflicted.

I kind of loved watching Norma take over control of the body of Norman only to be thwarted by the new sheriff. ‘Norma’ thought she had everything handled, but surprises kept coming.

The police discovered the body of Emma’s mother in the lake alongside the guy Romero sent to try and kill Norman.

Just two more to go…

The Penguin S1 E8

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“A Great or Little Thing”

What a gut punch.

The Penguin has been a spectacular crime show from the beginning. It has never felt like a comic book show to me, despite being set in Gotham with The Penguin as the protagonist.

Francis was going to have Oz killed because she knew what he had done to his brothers. The whole scene at the jazz club with Francis and Oz and Sofia was crushing. Deirdre O’Connell was sensational as the grieving mother unleashing an inner hatred she had pushed down for years.

The whole final showdown between Oz and Sofia was awesome, and it was very satisfying seeing Sofia returned to Arkham.

The hardest scene for me was watching Oz strangle Victor to death because Oz believed that having someone close to him would be weakness. The darkness inside Oz has truly transformed him into a monster, a true Batman villain, which is why the Bat-signal at the end was so appropriate. Shocking end for someone who had been so loyal to Oz.

This is my final time that I can say that Colin Farrell is absolutely amazing in this role. I can hardly believe that he is actually this character. It looks nothing like him. It is a tremendous performance that really is more than just the makeup.

Colin Farrell and Deirdre O’Connell deserves Emmy Awards and so does Cristin Milioti. Seriously brilliance among the cast.

Bates Motel S5 E2, E3, E4, E5, E6

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“The Convergence of Twain”

“Bad Blood”

“Hidden”

“Dreams Die First”

“Marion”

Got on a bit of a run during the final season of Bates Motel. A couple of things turned out clearer than I remembered when I first watched the series on A & E.

First, I always had an issue with the Marion Crane storyline, which began to happen this season because I had believed that this was a prequel series to the Psycho movie from Hitchcock. However, I realized that this was not the case… or at least, I think that is the case.

When Norman chained Caleb in the cellar, Chick discovered all of the secrets of Norman and his “Mother.” He saw the frozen corpse of Norma in the basement. Chick, being the opportunist he is, decided he would write this story. He got a typewriter and was taking notes on a tape recorder. He told Norman that he was writing a suspense/thriller novel that he thinks could be a good movie someday. So the show is now an inspiration for the novel/movie instead of a prequel. I like that switch, and I wonder why I did not see it last time.

Understand, it might all be for naught considering I do not remember if Chick met an end during the series. If that turns out to be the case, then perhaps I will have to adjust my thoughts.

Second was the way Dylan and Emma finally found out that Norma was dead. It was a small scene, but it was really well acted. Dylan not knowing about what was happening with Norma was one of the more frustrating parts of the season. I know why they did it, but it was tough. Of course, Dylan lost both his mother and father. The scene with Dylan and Norman on the phone was powerful considering they were just on the phone together.

Third, I was not expecting Romero to get shot, but I do now remember it happening. Buckshot from a kid’s gun. He shows how tough he continues to be. I’m not sure if the show intends for us to hope that Romero fails, but I find myself rooting for him way more than I ever root for Norman.

Five more episodes remain in the series.

The X-Files S7 E5

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“Rush”

I was able to get back to The X-Files after a bit of a break. The next episode was one that I did not remember seeing before. I don’t think I was missing a lot by not remembering this.

Something mysterious gave three teenagers super speed that was destroying their bodies. The sheriff’s kid was the lead bad guy… never saw that before (sarcasm).

The three kids were very dull and unlikable. None of the performers were stand out and they were not going to elevate the material above what was on the page.

Fact of this episode, there was nothing great about it, but there was nothing terrible about it either. This is one of those types of episodes that will be easy to forget. Maybe I did see it before.

Shrinking S2 E5

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“Honesty Era”

Shrinking is such a great show every week. They have multiple storylines working for all of the major characters and they all feel real and relatable. It also has some of the best written dialogue on TV. For example:

“Little baby chicken bitch.”

As I said. This was said by Paul’s ex-wife, who came to have a frank discussion with Paul and Harrison Ford and Kelly Bishop, Gilmore Girl actress, were brilliant together. But one would think that line would have been said in anger, but instead it was weaved in beautifully into an honest and real discussion between them. It was one of the best scenes of the season.

Connor also happened to break and tell Summer that he had slept with Alice, and the anger of the ginger came out. This secret led to Liz’s meltdown on Jimmy in another wonderfully written scene. Jimmy responds with such a deadpan way, with small little comments that show off how funny he truly is.

There are storylines for just about everyone in the cast and they all are well written and make perfect sense. The show does not feel stuffed because the writing deftly handles the stories and their aftereffects, and the actors are all so excellent and seem to have a grasp of who these people are that they can portray the writing with some much humor and heart.

Shrinking is one of the best shows on TV.

Battlestar Galactica S3 E4

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“Collaborators”

Tough episode as we deal with the fallout of everything that happened on New Caprica over the last year or so.

Characters have deep scars that have changed them drastically. Characters such as Kara are now filled with a desire or need for vengeance to try and fill the hole inside of them. A raw anger has taken over her as well as Col. Tigh.

Both of them wound up on a council of six aka The Circle that was set up by President Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch) to be the jury of those who collaborated with the Cylons.

Jammer was the first one we saw sent out the airlock, ending Dominic Zamprogna’s run on the show (and sent him to General Hospital). There was an absolute air of vengeance to the Circle that seemed to outweigh the justice they were searching for. Individuals seemed to be playing out their personal traumas on this jury, trying to find justice.

This made me think of PTSD, as these survivors of the Cylon control were acting on their own traumas and making decisions that they should never had been placed in charge of.

Zarek agreed to stand down as president, a position he inherited with Baltar’s absence. Zarek knew his presidency would not be supported by the military. He set it up so that Roslin would be appointed vice-president and then he would resign, effectively making her president once again.

Her first order of business was to issue a pardon to all humans who had worked with the Cylons in any capacity. It was a step in an attempt to begin to heal from the nightmare they all suffered. However, I get the distinct feeling that there will be some characters, including some of out beloved characters, who will not be anxious to move on.

The Penguin S1 E7

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“Top Hat”

The penultimate episode of The Penguin gave us some holy crap moments once again.

Flashback to when Oz was young, before his brothers died. We see what happened to them. Unbelievably, Oz locked them in a tunnel as the rain was coming in, and they drown. Oz does not actually murder them, but he does leave them to die, and all because he was jealous of the attention that his mother gave to them.

Sofia has taken Oz’s mother captive. His mother is as brutally vicious with her words as ever, although her oncoming dementia messes things up as well. Sofia feels sympathy for the woman, you can see, but her desire for revenge on Oz may be winning out.

Maroni arrives to kill Oz, but Oz and his crew stage a rebellion. Maroni ends up dying of a heart attack, making Oz mad that he couldn’t be the one to kill him. Oz plugs the dead body with several bullets after.

Sofia sends a bomb into the meeting with Oz. Oz thought it was his mother dead in the back of the car and uncovers the bomb. He takes off and climbs down the same tunnel where his brothers had drown. Oz left everyone who had his back to fend for themselves as the car exploded. Above all else, Oz is out to survive, screw anyone else.

Except for his mother, of course. I can’t see his mother making it through next week’s finale, but stranger things have happened, I guess. We are gearing up for the big Oz vs. Sofia showdown in next week’s finale. The Penguin has been exceptional crime TV so far.

Battlestar Galactica S3 E2, E3

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“Exodus- Part 1”

“Exodus-Part 2”

The storyline of New Caprica came to a dramatic close with the escape from the planet by the humans back on board Galactica. In sense, the status quo of the series had been reestablished with some new ideas moving forward.

The whole Starbuck/Kasey story ended with such a cruel blow to Kara. Discovering that Kasey was not her child was a tough shock for Kara, even though she was able to reunite the child with her real mother. Katee Sackoff did a tremendous job displaying the pain in her performance over the little girl.

Gaius and Number six now have the child, Hera. They gave her to Lucy Lawless and this apparently satisfied her. This arc has plenty of fuel in it yet as Sharon is going to be crushed when she finds out what Adama and Roslin had done. Sharon believed that Adama would not lie to her, but he certainly did. I would guess that this baby will drive much of the story for the third season.

I was wrong about the crew believing that Sharon betrayed them. Sam found the map that Ellen had stolen (instead of burning) and that led him to the proper culprit. However, having Saul poison her seemed to be a rough choice, and pretty cruel for him to do it. I never liked the character of Ellen but this felt like a harsh end for her. Where does Saul go from here?

There should be plenty of fallout among the survivors.

Shrinking S2 E4

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“Made You Look”

Shrinking is such a good show.

Harrison Ford is outstanding every episode, and this one where he is concerned that he maybe losing a step because of the Parkinson’s Disease is even more excellent than normal. There were some of the best lines of the series in this episode. One, in particular, made me laugh out loud. It was:

“What, you want me to pull my pants down and make my ass clap?“

Just imagine that line in the typical, gruff Harrison Ford voice.

Later in the episode Jimmy tells him that they should be working together, like Batman and Robin. He said that Harrison could be Batman, because he already talks like him.

Funny stuff.

I am a little concerned that I look at him and I see Harrison Ford and not the character he is playing, which, for the record, is Dr. Paul Rhoades.

There are several sub plots that are slowly brewing that show promise. These include Sean’s father issues, Gaby and a second Derek, Alice-Connor-Summer triangle, Brian and Charlie’s conversation about adopting a baby, and the recurring Louis Winston- aka the drunk driver who killed Tia.

Shrinking is on Apple + released weekly.