Category Archives: TV-G[eek]

Bates Motel S2 E5

Posted on by

Spoilers

“The Escape Artist”

Norman is such a nice guy. He is so easy to root for in this show that it is almost really sad that you know where he is going to wind up. It is easy to forget about his psychotic tendencies when he is played with such charm and warmth by Freddie Highmore.

This show does a great job of creating Norman Bates as a character that you can enjoy and root for while still seeing how he winds up with his mother stuffed in a rocking chair in his attic.

I’ve mentioned this before, but this show has also done a sensational job of creating an ensemble around Norman filled with three-dimensional characters that enrich Bates Motel wonderfully.

There was a tremendous scene between Norma and Romero in this episode. I know where this will eventually go and this episode is the first time we see some sparks, albeit slight ones, between these characters. Romero is such a bad ass and that little chink in his armor came with a slight smile.

Dylan is another tremendous character this show introduced us to as Norman’s brother, who despite everything cares for him, and who is also a bad ass.

Norma lecturing Norman about spending time with Cody when she is constantly involved with the wrong people is the height of hypocrisy. Norma clearly knows that when Romero tells her about the councilman Lee Birman died in a car crash, her new ally Nick Ford had something to do with it. I mean, he specifically told Norma not to worry about Lee Birman. He couldn’t have been more ominous if he had tried.

Then, both Norman and Emma had sex in this episode. Both with different people, of course. Personally, I like Cody much more than the post smoker Emma slept with.

The X-Files S5 E15

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Travelers”

This was an interesting episode that was fairly odd.

It was all a flashback. Not only the main part of the story, but also the framing device including Fox Mulder. When we saw Mulder in this episode, this predated his arrival at the X-Files. Truthfully, this introduced Mulder to the concept of the X-Files.

I am not sure the purpose for this episode, outside of highlighting the time of American history when people from our government targeted certain individuals as Communists for political reasons. It was also nice to see Mulder’s father, Bill, involved in the story. Bill Mulder was the hook that brought Fox Mulder into the narrative in the first place.

I liked the aesthetic of the episode, with the throwback look of the show. The fifties feel was very retro and it was a cool break from the typical design of the X-Files. Connecting this to Nazi scientists who had come to America to continue experiments was a solid tie-in and worked for this episode. The do not go too deep into anything from here though.

This was a fun episode, but it was a total filler episode. I do not know i f any of this would mean anything moving forward. I think it was just meant to be a show placed just after Mulder reclaimed his belief system, to give us a way to easy back into the status quo of the series.

Of course, it also meant that we did not get anything with Gillian Anderson and that is always an unwelcomed thing.

Battlestar Galactica S1 E4, E5

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Acts of Contrition”

“You Can’t Go Home Again”

This is a two-part adventure featuring Starbuck that was really epic.

I will state that I had some problems with the first part of the episode knowing what time frame was going on at certain times. As we started with Starbuck in a Viper and spinning out of control, and, as far as I remembered, that was not where we left off with episode three.

Then, they bounced around, kind of like Starbuck was seeing her life flash before her eyes. At least, that is how I took it, though it did not make for easy viewing. Again, I was not sure what was present day and what wasn’t.

However, that did not last for long and once I was able to get my bearing for the episode, this turned into an incredible fight for survival.

Watching Starbuck find that Cylon vessel and figure out how to fly it back to Galactica was exceptional. I do wonder how she wrote her name on the wings of the ship to avoid getting shot by the fleet. I loved how she just kind of flew rings around Apollo while he was mistakenly attempting to destroy the Cylon ship she was piloting.

We learned a lot about our main characters during this attempted rescue mission including Adama. Starbuck confessed her passing of Zach when he should have failed to Adama. Still, you could see how important she was to him and to Apollo as they were willing to put it all at risk to save her.

There was an advancement of Helo on Caprica too as a pair of Cylon machines get into a firefight with him. After this, he cannot find Sharon. This is a still evolving story bit.

I enjoyed this two-part episode even if Starbuck’s ability to fix and pilot the Cylon ship is stretching reality. I just took it as she made herself some great dice rolls (as in D&D). Perhaps some natural 20s.

Or is there more to it?

Doctor Who S14 Finale

Posted on by

S14 E8

S1 E9

S1 E8…… any other choices?

Spoilers

“Empire of Death”

I’m not worrying about numbering this. This is the finale.

Doctor Who ended its first season available on Disney + with the second part of its epic finale, following up on the amazing reveal last week of Sutekh, the God of Death who had been hitching a ride on the Tardis for years after the 4th Doctor believed that he had destroyed Sutekh.

After an amazing reveal last week, expectations were huge for the final episode, and I am happy to say that the finale reached them… mostly.

The episode certainly revealed a lot of truths and when that sand started swirling around, killing everyone in its path, my mouth started to drop. Now, when it started crossing the entire earth, it became pretty apparent that things were not going to stick. When it was just UNTIL, I thought maybe that would be the end, but that became clear qquickly.

I enjoyed the two specials with David Tennant, but I have truly come to love Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor. I have seen a very few Doctors over the years, but Ncuti Gatwa is just amazing. He is an emotional performer. He showed the tears of the Doctor across this entire episode.

I am sure that the interior of the memory Tardis that Doctor, Ruby and Mel escaped in was filled with unbelievable Easter eggs. I saw the scarf of Tom Baker in there. I did not know much about the history of Doctor Who and I can just imagine those breakdown videos on YouTube will be going crazy with this scene.

Sutekh looked awesome. The giant dog gripped the Tardis with a passion, the lifeline that he held for so long.

The episode did feel like there was a lot of exposition, but I guess that was necessary. And I did love the Doctor showing that he was smarter than you would think when he realized that Mel had been compromised and set Sutekh up.

The truth of Ruby Sunday’s mother was an interesting tweak, with the Doctor saying that they had given the woman the specialty by assigning her that importance. I’m not sure why Ruby can make it snow, but I hope that means we’ll get more Ruby down the road.

It sure seemed as if Ruby’s story was done, but I am not so sure. I think she will be back next season.

And how about Miss Flood talking to the camera at the very end with a scary message of the future of the Doctor? Who is this woman and what does that mean for a second (or 15th) season? I don’t know, but I will be watching.

The Boys S4 E4

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Wisdom of the Ages”

Holy crap.

This episode was unbelievably brutal and full of shocking moments of violence and character developing beats.

I literally gasped multiple times in the episode. Each event worst than the last.

Homelander: butchering the people from the lab in the most tauntingly evil way possible. Burning Frank. Burning Marty’s penis off. Bloodbath with the rest.

Starlight: Violent attack on Firecracker because FC revealed her abortion.

Butcher: Has little parasites swimming around inside his body, assuming from the Compound V he tried to inject to save himself.

Hughie: His father nearing death, Hughie decided to try to save him with Compound V. Hughie’s mom does it.

Sage: Had The Deep give her a frontal lobotomy so she did not have to be herself for a couple of hours before her brain regenerated. This was a horrible scene that I could barely stand to watch.

Kimiko: With Hughie, fought off the Shining Light Liberation Army. Hughie sliced one of the Shining Lighters in the throat as it spurted all over him.

Frenchie: Confessed to Colin that he had killed Colin’s family. Colin flipped out and beat Frenchie badly.

It felt like every minute, something new and horrifying was happening. I feel as if my descriptions barely did this show’s scenes justice. They were truly horrendous.

So much happened. It was so bleak. It is half way through the season and they are definitely in dark times.

Battlestar Galactica S1 E2, E3

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Water”

“Bastille Day”

With just a few episodes in, I can see why Battlestar Galactica was such a classic and beloved science fiction series. These two episodes are very strong.

Whoever stole the detonators and blew up the water containers is a neat little mystery. I, of course, have some ideas, but the fact that I am not 100% sure makes this even more enjoyable.

Then, I was shocked to see Richard Hatch walk into a scene as one of the prisoners that was being held. Richard Hatch was the original Apollo on the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series on ABC and seeing him as this terrorist was cool. Even better was putting him face to face with this new series’ version of Apollo, Lee Adama, played by Jamie Bamber.

That third episode, with the basic idea of a prison break with hostages, was well done and it built a lot of suspense as the episode progressed.

Hatch, as Tom Zarek, was a fascinating character and provided a real antagonist outside of the Cylon threat. He was solidly stuck in the grey area as his philosophy seemed to include good things, but he was taking bad steps to reach them. It was compelling.

However, I am already tired of Gaius Baltar and the image of Cylon Number Six that he sees and tells him what to do. I want him revealed sooner rather than later.

The show has been fantastic so far. I am looking forward to continuing on.

Bates Motel S2 E4

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Check Out”

Norman is starting to show more of his dark side… going as far as to speak as if he were Norma in an tense confrontation with her brother, Caleb.

The whole Norma-Caleb-Dylan mess has threatened to push Norman from his tentative mental balance. We know where the character of Norman Bates ends up, but this Norman has become such a favorite that it is harder to see his ultimate downfall.

It is a credit to Freddie Highmore to be able to take one of the most well known movie murderers and make him a developed and complex character.

And Norma is just an amazing character too. For someone who just winds up in a wheelchair in the attic, Vera Farmiga has filled her with such a delicate and complicated life. Norma and Norman are complex characters that could have easily been just echoes of what the big screen counterparts were like, but they are rich, fully developed and entertaining.

I ache for Norma-Dylan and their relationship. I can understand the anger that Dylan feels but I want them to put it aside and bond as mother-son. Watching him storm away and Norma painfully watching is a tough scene.

Bates Motel also is willing to develop a secondary character such as Emma, and give her a storyline separate from the Bates clan (at least at the moment). Then, there is Alex Romero as well making his way through the dangers from the town. These characters are as great as a anyone on the show and that was not expected.

The X-Files S5 E14

Posted on by

SPOILERS

“The Red and the Black”

I found the second part of this two part X-Files Mythology episode to be considerably stronger than the first part. Perhaps because it started to lead toward returning Mulder to the status quo, being the person who believes in extraterrestrial life.

Of course, it also saw the return of Cigarette Smoking Man, and I continue to wish he would just be dead.

Gillian Anderson was exceptional with her performance, especially during the hypnosis scenes. Those scenes were remarkably uncomfortable and you could see how they were affecting Mulder, even if he was not yet ready to accept once again his philosophy of “I Want to Believe.”

Agent Spender is a new recurring character from this two-parter that adds him to the list of other characters that I really dislike. It sure looked as if he were the son of CSM, which is just one more reason to find this guy unlikable.

We got even more of the Syndicate, and a lot of talk about an alien invasion/alien war, but that is not necessarily anything that would happen during the series.

This episode does help me feel better about the previous one, “Patient X.” Non-believer Mulder was just not a character that I want to spend a lot of time with. He seemed so spiteful that it took a lot of the charm of Fox Mulder away. I am glad this helped reignite Mulder’s belief moving forward.

The X-Files S5 E13

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Patient X”

Boy, Agent Mulder as a non-believer is a bit of a jerk.

I’m not sure if this is intended to flip the roles of sceptic and believer between Mulder and Scully, but that sure seems to be what is going down in this first part of a continued story.

Alex Krycek is back once again. He is well overdue for a final resting place. The X-Files is a different type of TV show. A lot of the times, I enjoy the antagonists on shows. I used to love Ben Linus on LOST. The bad guys on Twin Peaks were always entertaining as could be. But I was really wanting Cigarette Smoking Man to die and I feel much the same way about Krycek. I am not sure what the difference are between these characters and other similar characters. Maybe because the X-Files never really come to conclusions and just keeps pushing their answers off. I do like some of the X-Files monster-of-the-week, but the antagonists in the mythology episodes need to go.

This episode just feels wrong. I know the Mulder is a non-believer arc includes the movie they were filming and releasing, but it just feels too much of a shift in character. Especially since the episode before, Mulder was a believer in the vampires and such. It just feels like this was dropped in the season and now Mulder no longer wants to believe.

Perhaps the second part of the episode will help me make this more engaging, but I did not love this one.

Battlestar Galactica S1 E1

Posted on by

Spoilers

“33”

Starting the actual series with season one of Battlestar Galactica, there was a real tense episode where the survivors only have 33 minutes after they executed a jump away from the Cylons before the would fins them and try to attack again.

I can’t imagine what that would be like for the people on these vessels. Almost immediately after an escape, you would need to prep for another escape.

The Galactica crew had to stay awake in order to execute their plan in 33 minutes. The show had them awake for 132 hours, which is insane.

It led to a difficult decision that had to be made by Adama and President Roslin. One ship was being tracked by the Cylons and, through a twist of fate, they were able to discover the truth. They had to destroy the vessel despite how many lives might be on board.

It was a tough choice and it highlighted the pains of war and the loss of bystanders very well.

This episode shows what a dark and gritty show Battlestar Galactica would be and as an opening episode in the first season, it really laid the groundwork for what would follow.

Bates Motel S2 E3

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Caleb”

And with that, we understand why Norma has always had a bad relationship with Dylan despite him being her first born son.

The end of this episode dropped a major bomb as Norma revealed to Norman and Dylan, who were in the middle of a physical fight (that Norman was totally kicking his butt, by the way), that Caleb, her brother, was Dylan’s father.

Dylan had met with Caleb and befriended him and Caleb gave him a story about his own father, acting like that was why Norma had such a problem with him. When Dylan went to bat for him with Norma, she told him that Caleb had raped her for years, but Dylan did not believe it. This is what led to Norman and Dylan’s fight and Norma’s confession.

The rest of the episode had some building blocks for upcoming stories, but this was the biggest fire of the episode.

Clearly, Dylan is a memory of the rapes for Norma, which is the reason why she had treated him so differently than she treated Norman.

Doctor Who S14 E7

Posted on by

Spoilers

S14 E7 or 8, S1 E8 or 7 or ah, who knows….?

“The Legend of Ruby Sunday”

Good god this was intense.

I am a brand new Doctor Who viewer. I mean, I have seen an episode or two of previous variants, but that is about it.

This feels like a pay off for LONGTIME Doctor Who viewers, and I think it is awesome.

A couple of season long mysteries are addressed in this penultimate episode for this new season on Disney +. The first was, as the title indicted, what is up with Ruby Sunday? The second mystery is the reason that there is a recurring cameo made by woman played by Susan Twist. And I guess the mystery of who or what is “The One Who Waits” hinted at by Toymaker and Maestro in previous episodes is revealed too, and it seems to tie all three together.

The name meant nothing to me, but the dramatic reveal still gave me goosebumps. The name was Sutekh. It meant nothing to me and I suddenly felt like those people who saw the post credit scene in Avengers and wondered who that purple guy was. I knew that one, but Sutekh was a mystery to me.

It was still an amazing reveal.

The whole Ruby Sunday mystery is still up in the air, but I get a feeling that will be addressed fully in next week’s season finale.

Apparently, Sutekh was also known as Sutekh the Destroyer and faced off with the Fourth Doctor, played by Tom Baker with the iconic scarf, way back in 1975. According to my Google search after the episode ended, Sutekh was the last of the Osiran race of godlike alien beings. He is a god of death, the brother, apparently of Horus. When he confronted Tom Baker he had apparently been destroyed, but it turned out that he hid his essence with the Tardis and had been riding along since.

Absolutely amazing episode. I was on the edge the whole time because it just felt as if something huge was going to happen, and it certainly did not disappoint. As I said, I did not know this Sutekh character, but it seems like an outstanding villain, tapping into the cannon of the character’s history. Next week is the season finale and it has come way too soon for my tastes. I have really loved this series and I found every week something new to love about Doctor Who.

Sweet Tooth S3 E6, E7, E8

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Here, There Be Monsters”

“The Road Ends Here”

“This is a Story”

Okay, so about halfway through the Sweet Tooth finale, I was afraid that it was going to end with an unsatisfying conclusion. I did not like the way it appeared that the story was going, and I was about to be extremely unhappy in the finale after an incredible build up with excitement and tension.

Then, everything changed.

The finale of the story brought so many things to a head and I was very pleased with the fates of Dr. Singh and of Zhang. They needed comeuppance and the show provided it. Singh getting his ultimate redemption by saving Gus instead of killing him and Zhang, who survived, saw everyone turn their back on her and left her outside the collapsed cave to try and survive on her own.

The end of the human race was also a rough way to end the series, but it seemed very much the way the story was heading, and having them not die of the Sick and just die out naturally felt very satisfying.

The show also made the death of Jepp aka Big Man almost lacking. Gus telling the story and pretending that Big Man survived and made it back with Gus, but I think it is clear that he wound up dying from his injuries in Alaska.

I also was right about the narrator of the story turned out to be an older Gus. I had thought that was the case. Of course, I did not expect older Gus to be James Brolin. I did not recognize his voice so the reveal was a shock.

Sweet Tooth wrapped up with a really strong and exciting three episodes and I was pleased with the conclusion. I would have liked to have Big Man’s death to have been less pretend.

Sweet Tooth S3 E5

Posted on by

Spoilers

“The Tail-Tell Heart”

We arrive in Alaska and all hell breaks loose.

Sweet Tooth, Dr. Singh and Big Man make it to Alaska and meet up with  Siana and Nuka. The other people at the outpost were not pleased to see them. One of Zhang’s men had seen Gus arrive and had radioed his boss to reveal that Gus was already there.

So many things are converging at the outpost. When Zhang arrived, she threatened the other people to reveal where Gus and the others were. I was surprised that this group, who did not love that Gus was here, held fast to the information.

Gus and Nuka had escaped through the vents but they were too small for anyone else. Jepp tried to buy some tie by stalling Zhang, but that was when Dr. Singh betrayed them all. He came forward and told Zhang that he knew where Gus was and he would lead her to him.

What a scumbag. I did not see his betrayal coming, although it was clear that he was more into the journal of Captain Thacker than anything else. His ominous look when he saw the page that said it all started when I sacrificed the deer was chilling. I still had hoped that he wasn’t a lowlife that he had always been. I had hoped that Gus’ kindness had won him over.

Nope. Still nothing more than a lowlife asshole. He burned the journal in front of Zhang so only he could lead her to the cave and do what was needed. Dr. Singh really needs to pay the price for his betrayal, hopefully in the next few episodes.

Wendy saving Becky was a cool moment in the episode as well. Loved when Wendy smacked little jerk off Jordan with that wrench (or whatever it was). That guy had been asking for it too.

The wolf hybrid grandsons of Zhang tracked Gus and cornered him by the pipeline, but he helped by Caribou Man. Gus saved Caribou Man after the wolves had nearly got him.

The show is getting quite tense and the end is coming soon. Singh has to get his though. He and Zhang are just horrendous people, even if they believe their overall goal is a good thing.

The Boys S4 E1, E2, E3

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Department of Dirty Tricks”

“Life Among the Septics”

“We’ll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here”

Season four of The Boys dropped on Amazon Prime today with the first three episodes. I had only planned on watching the first one, but, unsurprisingly, I cruised through all three available. The show has not missed a step.

Homelander is probably the most complex, intriguing and fascinating antagonist on TV today. Antony Starr is at both times heart-breaking and terrifying as the lead super hero in Vaught’s world. His performance is tremendous ever minute he is on screen. Homelander is hateable, but there is something about him that makes you almost feel for him.

His relationship with his son, Ryan, causes such confusion for him because he does not know what it means to be a father and the things that he believes are important simply are not. You can see that Ryan is slowly coming to the realization to what his father is really like. I do not get the feeling that Ryan is going to be corrupted like I thought at the end of season three with his little smile when Homelander blew that protester’s head off.

Hughie has an interesting arc to kick off this season dealing with his father’s stroke and the return of his absentee mother. Again, this is something very relatable and human in a world of craziness and super powers. Hughie has always been the heart of the show and he continues to carry that mantel.

Mother’s Milk, on the other hand, is not handling the mantel of leadership very well. First of all, I had to look up on Google if the show had recast the role because when I first saw MM in episode one this season, he did not look anything like the actor I remembered. I found an article online asking if he had been recast, so obviously I was not the only person thinking that. However, Laz Alonso is back, just without the beard and thinner. He really does look differently. He is also struggling with the lead role with the Boys.

I’m not quite sure that I have been enjoying the arc of Frenchie and Kimiko so far. I am not sure where this came from and it feels as if it were tossed in just this season.

The new characters are something else. I swear that Firecracker is Marjorie Taylor Greene. A right wing conspiracy theorist spreading lies across the internet. And then there is Sister Sage, the smartest woman (excuse me, person) on earth. She is a real manipulator who I would keep an eye on.

This show is not hiding its politics at all. The metaphors of Homelander and the Seven being the right wing/MAGA of this country is not hidden very well. It might be a bit too obvious.

This show continues to be one of the best one on TV. I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.