Category Archives: TV-G[eek]

Bates Motel S1 E9

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“Underwater”

Poor Norma.

She has had a rough time. Finding the cadaver in her bed only started her stress. She was clearly afraid that this was the start of something worse, and she was very apparently correct.

The scene with Norma in the car with Jake in her backseat telling her to bring him the money that Shelby owed him was tense. Poor Norma had no idea what he was talking about, but she was stuck.

And she needs help but there is not much that Sheriff Romero could do and his comments to Norma with the flowers was completely understandable, even though she was 100% right.

Norman is still slowly descending into his craziness and I know it is heading toward his teacher getting the death treatment. Norman is showing the cracks in his life, especially when he trots into the house with his stuffed dead dog.

This is the penultimate episode of season one and it is again kind of a feeling of set up than a full story. It is a solid episode but it is not the same as the first half of this season.

The X-Files S5 E8

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“Kitsunegari”

In a sequel to the third season episode “Pusher,” Robert Modell returned to the show to play more mind games with Mulder.

Modell went by the nickname Pusher because he could ‘push’ his will on other people, in a mental control kind of way.

Modell came out of his vegetable state and escaped from prison. But Mulder felt there was something different than the last time he confronted him. Even when the prosecutor who had convicted Modell was found dead from drinking gallons of blue paint that he was also covered with from head to toe, Mulder could not shake the feeling that there was something else going on.

Turned out that Modell had a sister who could also do the “push” thing and she was playing the game. She was married to the prosecutor, but she had married him after two days and it seemed as if it was for revenge.

While this does not match up with the quality of “Pusher” from season three, this is still a decent episode. I did like how the main characters were all uneasy with each other and had a hard time believing what was going on. It felt as if all of them were being manipulated.

This is the way mental powers are supposed to work.

Bates Motel S1 E8

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“A Boy and his Dog”

Compared to the rest of the episodes so far in season one, this episode felt like a transitional one. There are some good scenes, in particular between Norma and Jake Abernathy (Jere Burns), but much of the episode felt as if it were setting other things up.

Such as:

  • Therapy for Norman
  • Dylan taking a step in the criminal organization
  • Dylan and Remo’s work relationship
  • Building Norman’s taxidermy hobby.
  • Building Norman and Emma’s relationship.
  • Another side to Sheriff Romero as he put Norma in her place.
  • Abernathy’s mysterious business.
  • A possible connection with Norma and Dylan

Of course, everything was leading up to that horrifying end sequence with the corpse in Norma’s bed. It seemed obvious that it was Zach Shelby in the bed, because of the scar on the face and the badge on his chest. It also seems fairly apparent who put it there. How did it happen was another question.

Overall, this was the weakest episode of the first season so far, but there was a lot of solid character work that will pay off down the line.

The X-Files S5 E6, E7

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“Christmas Carol”

“Emily”

The two part story dives into Scully’s desire to be a parent, something that had apparently been taken from her when she was abducted.

The first episode was Scully-centric, with only one quick cameo appearance by Mulder. Scully gets a mysterious phone call when she had returned to her family for Christmas and Scully believed that the voice on the phone was that of her deceased sister, Melissa.

The call led Scully to a house where a woman had seemingly committed suicide. However, there was more to it than that.

What was at the center of this was the woman’s daughter, Emily. Turned out that Emily was an adopted daughter and, as we find out at the very end of the episode, that Scully was her mother.

This dated back to the time frame when Scully had been abducted and had her eggs removed.

Gillian Anderson did some fine work cycling through all the emotions in these two episodes. The final scene where she laid on the bed beside Emily in the hospital was painful and beautiful at the same time.

Oh, but I have to say, Scully’s brother is still a jerk.

Strangely, I do not remember this two part episode. I can’t imagine that I missed it when it first was broadcast, but I did not recognize any of the scenes. The only child I remember for Scully was later on in the series run.

The Jinx Part Two S2 E6

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Season finale

“It Takes a Village”

After Bob Durst was convicted in California, but before he could appeal, Bob Durst died.

It seemed as if Bob Durst was still evading justice, right up to the end.

Because he died before he could appeal, the conviction would be negated. It is a California law.

This led to Kathie’s family, The McCormacks, deciding to sue Bob’s estate for wrongful death. So we get to hear more from Debrah, Bob’s wife.

We also hear from Bob’s siblings, and they were some kind of rotten. I just found them to be such a group of monsters, to varying degrees.

There was no final, surprising confession at the end of season two as there was in season one. Instead, they make it appear that Debrah really won in the long run. She has fought the McCormacks the entire time, and still is doing so. With some legal machinations with a trust, most of Bob’s money is salted away. Debrah refused interviews. She said that everything was worth it.

And the Durst family had never once offered any help or assistance to the McCormacks.

Sounds as if Bob wasn’t the only horrific person in this story. Perhaps he is the sole murderer.

These two seasons of The Jinx is one of my all-time favorite documentary series that I have watched. Andrew Jarecki does a tremendous job of both of these seasons.

Bates Motel S1 E6, E7

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“The Truth”

“The Man in Number 9”

The Deputy Zack Shelby storyline came to a dramatic conclusion in episode six as Shelby wound up in a gunfight with Dylan after he discovered the Asian girl in one of the motel rooms.

The whole situation came to a head with Shelby as he showed off his violent side, including smacking Norma a couple of times. This set off Norman.

The gunfire was tense as Dylan and Zack fired at each other. Zack ended up dead outside on the front steps of the house.

It also led to one of the big reveals of the early season. As we see Norman go into a blackout with Shelby, we learn from Norma that Norman had blacked out once before, and ended up killing his father Sam. Norma made it look like an accident and Norman believed that story.

Strangely, Sheriff Romero, who responded to Norma’s 9-1-1 call, upon finding the dead body of his deputy on the steps, listened to the story and then told the Bates clan what the actual story was going to be. That was odd considering how gung-ho Romero was to arrest Norma at first.

The show does not let us hear what Norma tells Romero. She said that he knows it all now about Shelby. How much that actually was would be interesting to know. Did she tell Romero about the rape? Or how she murdered Keith? I’m not sure we ever found out.

Another new story started in episode seven with the mysterious salesman who showed up claiming to have a standing reservation of room 9. He was definitely creepy and a riddle. Then he booked all the rooms for the first week of every two months. What is going on here?

Norman’s sex life took a turn as he talked with Bradley and she let him down as easily as she could, but we could see Norman turning into Norma as he walked away. Her kind hug brought him back, but it was spooky.

The arrival of a stray dog Norman named Juno brought another tragedy to Norman as a car accidentally ran over the dog. This is leading to the knowledge for Norman of taxidermy as he wanted to take the dog’s corpse to Emma’s father.

Norman feels very much on the edge. I’m not sure how he made it through five seasons. Bates Motel has been just an excellent show so far.

The X-Files S5 E5

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“The Post-Modern Prometheus”

We have come to an episode of the X-Files that would be one of my top ten episodes of the series. After watching it again tonight, I have an even greater appreciation for “The Post-Modern Prometheus” than I had when I first saw it.

Mulder and Scully came to a town where a woman claimed to have been impregnated by a monster in her home, without her consent. The woman, who seemed more intent on making the Jerry Springer Show, stated that her 18-year old son Izzy was conceived in the same manner.

Turned out that Izzy was the writer of a comic book that followed the adventures of the Great Mutato, a local legend and the Great Mutato fit the description of the supposed attacker/rapist.

Shot in a beautiful black and white, this episode took the story of Frankenstein and turned it about to fit into an episode of the X-Files. Much of the stylistic choices of the episode fit right into the type of old fashion horror movies, like Frankenstein. The episode was striking with its mood, creating a fantasy style and a surreal element of the tale.

Music of Cher was used throughout the episode, including a majestic version of “Walking in Memphis” at the very end. There was a reference made to Cher’s movie, Mask, where Cher played the mother of a disfigured boy, something to which the Great Mutato could relate.

I read that some people believe that this episode takes place outside of X-Files continuity since the episode begins and ends as if it was a story in a comic book. This is an interesting idea that does make sense with what was provided. It allowed the creators a freedom to be able to bring a different style of mood to this episode.

Over-the-top actor John O’Hurley, known as J Peterman from Seinfeld, played the “mad scientist” Francis Pollidori. His style of acting fit perfectly in this fantastical story.

This is one of the best X-Files episodes of the entire series, and it was epic to get a chance to see it once again. It is a beautifully constructed and filmed fairy tale that is a love letter to the Universal Monsters from the 1930s/1940s.

Bates Motel S1 E4, E5

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“Trust Me…”

“Ocean View”

Things are heating up among everyone in Bates Mote.

So much happened in these two episodes it was truly epic.

  • Norma is arrested for the murder of Keith Summers
  • Keith’s hand was found with carpet fibers from the motel.
  • Norman confided in Dylan.
  • Norman had sex with Bradley.
  • Emma and Norman found the missing Asian girl on Summers’ boat.
  • They took the girl back to the motel where Norma found them.
  • The girl told Norma that Zack was behind her kidnapping, keeping her for sex.
  • Dylan’s partner lent him $5000 to get a place for Dylan and ‘his bro.’
  • Dylan’s partner was shot in the neck.
  • Dylan ran down the shooter with his truck.
  • Zack steals the carpet fiber and the case against Norma is dropped.
  • Norman told Emma about his night with Bradley. She claimed it was just a hook up.

So much going down in these two episodes that it is just packed full. Norma’s manipulations are coming back on her, but Zack is certainly being shown as someone who is not just a good guy trying to help someone he loved. He is a control freak and he is out for Norma. The whole fishing scene with Norman was really tense and uneasy.

Norman’s own mental illness took a back seat in these episodes as his relationship with Dylan appeared to be getting stronger as his relationship with Norma took a hit. She was mad at Norman for being out ‘getting laid’ on the night she was arrested, but that was just another way to attempt to control him.

Bates Motel continues to be excellent, creating a ton of intriguing stories wrapped around these characters. Dylan is one of the most engaging characters included in the show.

The X-Files S5 E4

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“Detour”

The X-Files starts a strong run of episodes with “Detour” which finds Mulder and Scully in the woods in Florida in an attempt to avoid a FBI “team-building” conference with two inane agents.

That might not be fair, but Mulder and Scully were sharing a car with another pair of agents and it was quite apparent that they could not stand the discussions going on. So when their car was stopped because of a police barricade, Mulder took the opportunity to ‘stretch his legs’ and get away from the other agents.

Coincidentally, Mulder found himself engaged with the investigation of several missing people, attacks that did not seem to be human or animal.

The episode was written by Frank Spotnitz who said he was inspired to write it after watching Deliverance. I have to say that there are several scenes that felt more like Predator than Deliverance.

The strength of the episode was the interplay between Mulder and Scully. It was reminiscent of the episode “Quagmire” where Mulder and Scully are stranded on a rock in the middle of a lake with a supposed monster at large. However, the scene where Scully sings “Joy to the World” to an injured Mulder is excellent and gives an insight to the complex relationship between Mulder and Scully.

There was also a really funny moment when Scully had fallen into a hole in the woods and Mulder tossed down his gun to her because the creature was int he hole with her. Moments later, Mulder saw movement int he woods, and he dropped himself into the hole too. The comic timing on that was beautiful.

However, I did not like the explanation of the creatures from Mulder. It felt like the whole Conquistador/Fountain of Youth explanation was thrown on in an attempt to make the story make some semblance of sense in the X-Files world. As Agent Kinsley had said, it is just a way for Mulder to write off his motel room as a business expense.

Overall, this was a fun monster-of-the-week episode that is made better because of the dialogue between Mulder and Scully.

Doctor Who S14 E4

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S14 E4, S1 E4

“73 Yards”

Snow is a recurring motif in this series when connected to Ruby, and this Ruby-centric episode is something else.

The Doctor and Ruby arrive in Wales and the Doctor immediately steps on a Fairy Circle. He disappears and a mysterious woman follows Ruby on her desperate attempt to find an answer of what happened.

The tension of this episode is just off the charts, as it goes from a supernatural-type story to one of a political nature and ends with a circular return that reveals part of the story.

However, there are still plenty of questions for me as the saga progressed over 40 years.

I did miss the Doctor during the bulk of the episode, but Ruby is an exceptional character and Millie Gibson dominates the episode with her charm and her anxiety over what was occurring.

Yet another episode that is unlike the previous episodes, making Doctor Who a series that truly spans the stretch of what a TV show can be.

Bates Motel S1 E3

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“What’s Wrong with Norman?”

The third episode of Bates Motel shows that there is something off about young Norman Bates. He blacked out during school, he took a belt from the rapist Norma killed and kept it as a memento, and seemed to not remember when he attacked Dylan from episode two.

The mental illness showed its ugly head early in this series. We all know where Norman Bates ends up, and it makes sense that he would have these issues as a young man. But you wouldn’t have guessed that he would be as likable as Freddie Highmore made him.

Norma is in full manipulation mode, but she has apparently gotten herself involved with Deputy Zack Shelby, who discovered the belt under Norman’s bed and took it before Sheriff Romero saw it. However, Norman, who had a delusion that Norma told him to take care of the belt, sneaking into Shelby’s house to search for the belt, discovered something shocking. A girl chained up in Shelby’s basement.

We get a touch of a relationship between Norman and Dylan. The step-brothers had a minor scene that told a lot. It hinted to Dylan that maybe something was not right with Norman.

Emma got a glimpse at Norman’s darker side when he rebuked her decision to go to the police with the journal with the artist renditions of the Chinese woman in it. Norman was fairly scary when he snipped at Emma that he did not want the police involved.

Bates Motel has been great in these first few episodes as we watch the creation of an iconic movie villain.

The X-Files S5 E3

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“Unusual Suspects”

I started this episode on Tuesday night. However, we had a horrible storm go through my city, knocking out my internet access (and the power for a time). I was about halfway through the episode when the internet went down. With the normally busy Wednesday, I did not get back to this episode until tonight when I was able to finish it up on Hulu.

“Unusual Suspects” was a back story of the Lone Gunmen, how they came to be together and how they ended up meeting Mulder.

This was also a crossover episode with NBC’s series Homicide: Life on the Street with a guest appearance from Richard Belzer as Detective John Munch.

The idea for the Lone Gunmen focused episode came about when David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson needed time to finish the X-Files movie.

X made a “return” in this flashback episode, as one of the men behind the problem at the center of this episode, which helped cement the paranoia of the trio.

However, I am not sure why X allowed the Lone Gunmen to live at the end of the episode after they saw as much as they saw. I can understand why he let Mulder live, but why them?

This episode was fine, but it does suffer from the same issue as many of these kind of shows, that place secondary characters in their own lead episodes. Much like the Miss Dipesto episodes of Moonlighting, these episode was fine, but was missing something. In this episode, what was missing was Scully.

As I said, this episode was okay, but just not to the level I am used to for the X-Files.

Bates Motel S1 E2

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“Nice Town You Picked, Norma”

Man, Freddie Highmore can give some death stares unlike anyone else. His eyes are amazingly creepy and, at times, simply frightening. You can see the insanity inside them, making him a great Norman Bates.

Norma’s first son and Norman’s half-brother Dylan arrived at the beginning of episode, creating tension within the Bates family. He had so much anger directed toward Norma, who he did not call Mom, but by her actual name, and the tension between him and Norman was obvious. Dylan’s anger toward Norma boiled over as Norman tried to defend his mother’s honor.

Vera Farmiga played Norma with such a depth that elevated this character into one of the most compelling character on the show. She is so mysterious and enigmatic. You are never quite sure what she is thinking behind each stare. When she was questioning Emma about her disease, I could not tell if she was interested because she was being empathic or if she was saying it to let Norman hear about the things about her cystic fibrosis because she was jealous of any other girl who might have a connection to Norman.

Romero continued to be suspicious of Norma after they found the truck of Keith Summers and a witness had said that Keith was seen arguing with Norma and Norman at the Hotel. Norma is cool as can be during the interactions, hiding the real anxiety beneath the surface. Keith was the man who raped Norma and whom she killed and dumped in the lake. Some of the word play between Norma and Romero was well written and jumped off the screen.

The town that they have moved to is shown to be a darker place than Norma had expected, with a deep criminal underground involved.

After episode number two, the storytelling is excellent. They bring up storylines that continue to service these characters while focusing on the unhealthy relationship between mother and son. A relationship that we know will end up in tragedy.

Bates Motel S1 E1

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“First You Dream, Then You Die”

Whoa. I had forgotten how much I loved this series.

I needed a new series to rewatch and I came across Bates Motel on Amazon Prime. I used to love this show when it was on A & E, but rewatching this first episode reminded me how amazing this show was.

Norma Bates and her son Norman leave Arizona to get a new start six months after her husband died. They wind up at an iconic house and motel from the movie, Psycho.

The idea of having a show that took place as a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s classic Psycho was a great idea and the execution was even better.

Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga are absolutely brilliant as son and mother in this remarkable series. They both totally embody these characters and you just ache for them, especially knowing their ultimate fates.

The first episode pulled no punches either as there is a brutal scene where Norma is raped by the motel’s disgruntled former owner and an equally brutal scene where Norma stabbed said rapist to death with a butcher’s knife.

You can’t help but root for these people as Highmore and Farmiga are absolutely exceptional. You can see the mental illness that takes root inside Norman. Just a glance in his eyes tells so much about his lack of stability.

I loved the inclusion of Richard of LOST, Nestor Carbonell as Sheriff Alex Romero. He is an excellent actor and he brings Alex alive. He creates a totally different character than Richard of LOST and that is a tough thing to do. Admittedly, he does not appear to be that quick in the opener as he takes a pee beside the shower where the dead body of the rapist was hidden. That’s okay. Just prevents Norma from having to kill a couple of more.

This was a fantastic show and I am really looking forward to rewatching the entire run over the next few months.

The Jinx Part Two s2 E5

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“Mostly the Truth”

It’s Bob’s turn to testify.

He had to testify because they had stipulated the fact that Bob had written the cadaver note and Bob had to explain that for the jury. Because he had to explain that fact that he wound up admitted to, Bob was able to be cross-examined by the prosecutor John Lewin.

Lewin planned on showing the jury that Bob was a liar… perhaps even pathological. Lewin picked his testimony apart. Bob had told a story of how he would play Uno and throw the frisbee with his mom, brother and father. Lewin pointed out that Uno was created in 1971 and frisbees were created in 1958 and Bob’s mom died in 1950. This showed clearly that those ‘memories’ were not true.

Nine days of cross-examination. Whoa.

Lewin got Bob to admit that he had lied about some things during his testimony and that if he had killed Susan, he would lie about it.

Those words are shocking.

The trial started really strong for Bob and it took a major downswing.

When they played the “Killed them all, of course” clip from the first Jinx show, it was an amazing moment. Bob said that he had said that he muttered the words “They will all think that I” ahead of those five words. However, they did not let that stand.

Another amazing moment was when Bob, who was saying things that he would lie about, said that he would lie about where Kathie was buried. The prosecutor jumped on that phrasing immediately and it sounded terrible.

The verdict came in: Guilty. Durst was not there at the time because he had been exposed to Covid.

Shockingly, since Bob was not there, someone had to tell him that he had been convicted. But none of his own lawyers did it. They left town imediately.

It was Bob’s current wife, Debbie’s lawyer who told him.

And that feels like the next piece of the story.