Category Archives: TV-G[eek]

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst S1 E4

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“The State of Texas vs. Robert Durst”

Okay, this is just astounding.

This episode featured the trial of Robert Durst in Galveston, Texas on the murder of Morris Black, Durst’s neighbor while he was hiding out in Galveston, pretending to be a woman.

There are so many unbelievable things that happened during the trial that would lead to his being found “not guilty” that it is difficult to understand how it could happen. The thing is as you are watching this trial unfold, including Durst’s own testimony on the stand, you can see why the jury made this remarkably unpopular verdict, freeing the NYC billionaire in what seemed to be a slam dunk case.

I may have missed this, but why in God’s name did the prosecutors in Galveston not include charges against Durst for cutting up the body, destroying evidence or anything else along with the murder charge? By not charging him with these other offenses, they gave Robert Durst a clever way to get away with what he had done.

The fact was that no one could conceivably say that how the event in the room happened. Was it a murder-execution style or was it an accidental death coming from self-defense? Once Robert explained the decapitation part, in a way that made somewhat of a sense, the jury only could decide whether Robert had committed murder. They could not determine if he had cut up the body and disposed of the evidence. None of that was relevant to this case because there were no charges stemming from that.

That entire jury may have believed that he had killed Morris, but there was no proof that he had done so.

The creators of the docuseries added something at the end of this episode that is foreshadowing the bombshell that would be dropped at the end of the series. Andrew Jarecki had asked Robert if he needed a break and during the break, Durst was practicing what he was going to say, which was being picked up on his hot mike.

Durst said, “I did not knowingly purposefully lie. I did not knowingly purposefully lie. I did not knowingly, purposefully, intentionally lie. I did make mistakes.“

I literally shook from this. Durst is such a chilling, manipulative person and his words both at trial and the interview with Jarecki is what makes this more than just any true crime story.

And by the way, why does nobody ask Durst what happened to the head?

This is amazing. I remember how much this stuck with me after the first watch and it absolutely holds up and a compelling piece of drama.

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst S1 E3

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“The Gangster’s Daughter”

How DO you accidentally shave your eyebrows?

Episode three brings into focus the next suspected murder committed by Robert Durst, a woman named Susan Berman. Berman was a daughter of a gangster and had become one of the staunchest supporters of Robert Durst during the period he was being looked at as a suspect in the disappearance of Kathie, his wife.

The speculation was that Susan Berman had some knowledge of the disappearance of Kathie and that was a direct reason why she was executed.

I swear, every time Robert Durst appears on screen in his interview with director Andrew Jarecki, Robert Durst is the most shockingly sociopathic man I have ever heard. The constant blinks and winks (which I think may be beyond his control) and the manner in which he speaks is just chilling. He asks questions during the interview that honestly feel as if he is trying to lead the viewers or Jarecki to the real truth, that he is guilty. Does Durst, perhaps subconsciously, want to get caught?

While on the run from the charge of murder of Morris Black, Durst went into a grocery store and was caught shoplifting a tuna salad sandwich. Why would someone who could afford just about anything try to shoplift a sandwich, especially when he knew that he was on the lamb?

He admits to being on the lamb and admits to planning to jump bail after posting it in Galveston. He said that he shaved his hair and his eyebrows in an attempt to look different.

This is an amazing true crime story that is only amplified by Robert Durst’s own words.

X-Men ’97 S1 E8

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“Tolerance is Extinction, Pt. 1”

The first part of the three-part season finale dropped on Disney + this morning with an epic episode built on previous episodes. Bastian, a character that I really missed out on in the comics, is designed so beautifully, and feels original and unlike any other X-villain.

This episode felt like it fit inside the Marvel Universe more than any X-Men episode, dating back to even the early 1990s. We saw Spider-Man. We saw Dr. Doom. We saw Baron Zemo. We saw Omega Red. We saw the Silver Samurai. I’m really sure that we saw the timeline from Loki. It felt as if this show was building a world that we have known for decades from out of the pages of the comics.

Some of the action in this episode are absolutely bad ass. The Scott, Jean and Cable being pursued by the human/sentinels and plowing through the mountain in a Porsche with optic blasts was unbelievable. The Wolverine falling from the sky, slicing the hybrids on his way down. The use of Nightcrawler and his sabers fighting back-to-back with Wolverine protecting an unconscious Rogue. These scenes were all just so epic.

Magneto was right. Just thought I’d leave that here.

Magneto’s boss move, as Wolverine stated “He declared war on the planet,” happening in the first episode of the three-part episode is dramatic and quite the swing. Seeing Magneto going final boss just before Charles Xavier returned to the earth was poetic.

The family theme goes throughout the episode, with the Summers, with Nightcrawler-Rogue, with Bastian’s background, with Roberto’s mother, with Xavier’s return. The writing on this show just keeps getting better every time.

I love Nightcrawler. He has always been one of my favorite X-Men characters, but he is so perfectly portrayed here and his words are so wise and impacting that I love every second Kurt Wagner is on screen. I hope this character sticks around past this season.

It was a great start to the finale. Two more to go.

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst S1 E1, E2

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“A Body in the Bay”

“Poor Little Rich Boy”

One of my favorite, all-time true crime docudramas was The Jinx, which tells the compelling story of Robert Durst, NYC real-estate scion. The series was remarkably intriguing, but ended with the greatest hook of all time. We’ll save that discussion until later in the rewatch.

Well, there is a second season currently airing on Max, which I never thought would happen. I want to start to watch the Jinx season two, but I figured it would be a smart move to rewatch that first season from 2015 before I dove into the new season.

This is absolutely insane.

The first couple of episodes are just the beginning, but it gives the most unexpected picture of Robert Durst. Who is this guy? A man who was accused of decapitating an old man in Galveston, Texas and who was always suspected for killing his wife, decided that he wanted to do a sit down interview with a director, Andrew Jarecki, who directed the movie All Good Things, which was inspired by Durst’s rumored story.

What makes a man search out a director to give an interview to about his life, a life that had so many infamous moments?

Listening to Durst tell these stories in his own voice was really creepy. Watching Durst and his remarkable twitches and blinks as he made direct comments was fascinating. I do not know if these were “tells”, but they all seemed to come at sinister moments. Admittedly, I may be reading into this way more than there is.

Episode two was heavily focused on Kathie, Durst’s wife, who disappeared in 1982, and whose body has never been found. Some of the words from Kathie’s friend were powerful.

It was jarring to see Jeanine Pirro, currently of FOX News, appear in the documentary as a prosecutor who was involved in the case against Durst.

There is so much about this man that is absolutely fascinating and the fact that you feel as if he was lying to you with every breath was something that was just unbelievable. After two episodes, I remember clearly how shocking and compelling this docudrama was.

The X-Files S4 E15

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“Kaddish”

The X-Files have used plenty of mythological creatures from different religions and cultures over the years in their monster-of-the-week episodes. This episode featured the Jewish creature known as a golem.

I knew of the idea of a golem from Marvel Comics so I remember being intrigued by this episode when it was first released.

Mulder and Scully were investigating a murder of a man who was suspected to be involved in the death of a Jewish man. They expected this to be a revenge killing.

Of course, the murdered man had two other friends who were doomed as well. They were all Nazis, so I did not find much compassion for these victims.

However, the golem would go off on its own and become more of a danger to others as well.

This was a decent episode, but a bit of a step down over the last few episodes. There was no mention of Scully’s cancer at all, which felt out of place considering how important of a twist that storyline was.

Baby Reindeer limited series E4-7

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I had not intended on binging this whole series in one day. I had thought that this could be another several week watch. However, with the sick day, I had time available and this was just so amazing of a show that I couldn’t help myself.

Baby Reindeer is a seven-episode limited series on Netflix that has been creating quite a buzz lately, for good reason. It is based on a true story, written and starring Richard Gadd, who based this on a time in his own life.

Episode four bought the answers as to why Donny was such a victim for Martha. He had been abused by a writer, a writer whom Donny had idolized and who was sexually pervasive with him after getting him high on a variety of drugs. This vital piece of information, which was hinted at in the first three episodes, gives us the theme of the show, seeing how abuse can affect an individual and how trauma from the past can really derail a person’s life.

Martha was not shown as a villain. She was absolutely mentally ill, suffering from her own challenges, but to call her evil is not an accurate portrayal. Even at her worst, Martha was retaliating or responding to situations in her life that she was unable to deal with in any other manner. In her mind, she was in love with Donny and this was the way for her to express it.

Donny’s own self-hate caused everything around him to falter, including the potentially positive relationship with Teri. There really is an amazing amount of depth to these characters who go far beyond good vs. evil.

While the first three episodes of the series were highlighted by Jessica Gunning’s performance as Martha, these last four, in particular episode six, showed a remarkable performance from Richard Gadd. His monologue on stage at the comedy finale was just unbelievable and as raw as an open wound. I was completely captivated by the acting on display. This felt like a man breaking down in front of everyone.

I also was touched by the scene where Donny went back to his parents to tell them about the video of that monologue that had gone viral on social media, mainly because Martha had threatened to tell them about it. The reveal that his father had also been sexually abused as a child was one of the most powerful moments of the show. The hug between father and son was life-affirming.

The end was very poetic too as Donny wound up at a bar and, almost, in the same situation that Martha was in at the beginning of the show. One wonders if this characters of Donny would ever truly get past the obsession that he seemed to have for Martha. While this is based on a true story, there is enough fictional aspects to make one wonder.

This was a difficult and uncomfortable show to watch at many times, and yet it was worth every second. It is one of the best shows of 2024 so far.

The X-Files S4 E14

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“Memento Mori”

I think I have said this before, but there has never been a villain/antagonist that I wanted to see get a bullet in the head more than the Cigarette Smoking Man.

That is intended as a huge compliment for actor William B. Davis, who plays CSM with such a smug, arrogant demeanor, manipulating the characters of The X-Files into the exact place that he wanted them. He maximized every second of screen time creating such a hateable character that called upon the worst possible instincts. His performance has always been exceptional, but his inclusion in this Scully cancer story makes him even more contestable.

Gillian Anderson won an Emmy for her work as Dana Scully for season four, and this was the main episode submitted to the panel. I can understand why because there was so much here for the actor to sink her teeth into, tearing down the character of Dana Scully before coming out the other side with the strength needed to move forward. The emotional scene between Scully and Mulder after Penny died was powerful and totally compelling.

The wild drama with the discovery of Scully harvested ova was exciting, keeping a balance between the emotional cancer story and the mythological X-Files aspect. The use of the Lone Gunmen in this episode was great, bringing the boys out of their usual locale and into the field.

This was another example of Skinner “taking the bullet” for Mulder and Scully, as he approached CSM for answers about Scully’s cancer, instead of allowing Mulder to do the same. Skinner truly was Mulder’s patron, as CSM referred to him during the episode.

This made Mulder’s reactions last episode standout all the more, as this feels like the relationship that has been built after nearly four seasons and last episode’s was an exception.

Baby Reindeer limited series E1-3

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I heard some discussion about this limited series on Netflix. Several of the online critics that I respect and like had positive things to say about this, so I decided since I have a sick day today from school, I may as well give it a try.

The first three episodes were just tremendous.

According to IMDB, “Based on a compelling true story, the hit 2019 Edinburgh Fringe one-man stage-play Baby Reindeer follows the writer and performer Richard Gadd’s warped relationship with his female stalker and the impact it has on him as he is ultimately forced to face a deep, dark buried trauma.”

Richard Gadd played Donny, a bartender who wants to become a stand up comedian. One night, a sad figure of a woman came into the pub and sat down on the stool. Donny took pity on the woman and offered her a drink. Little did he know where this would take him.

Jessica Gunning is astounding as the woman, Martha Scott, who begins to stalk Donny, ingratiating herself into his life in an obsessive manner. The brilliance of the performance is the fact that you can see the reason why Donny felt the empathy for her. There are flashes with Martha that is not just her mental illness, but her desperation to be something more to someone. Jessica Gunning truly gives a layered performance through the first three episodes.

The first three episodes spend some time hinting that there is more behind Donny than what we see and perhaps some of his choices and behaviors will make sense after we find out what that is.

The feral response Martha had when she found Donny with Teri (Nava Mau) was brutal. Donny’s angry response chased her away, but I am not sure what the show will do next, and i love that.

Powerful limited series so far, based on a true story of Richard Gadd’s actual stalker.

The X-Files S4 E13

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“Never Again”

Talking tattoos?

Not sure I liked that part of this episode. It was a strange thing.

However, everything that happened made perfect sense considering what happened last episode, in Leonard betts.

Scully was told by Betts that she had what he needed, which was cancer. Everything that she did in this episode, several things that did not seem like something Scully would do, probably came from that realization.

I did wish that Mulder would have been more empathic in the situation. Shouldn’t he be able to tell something was bothering his long time partner? Shouldn’t he understand that the minor things like a desk are not setting Scully off? Mulder was not written very well in this episode.

He did get to go on a pilgrimage to Graceland, though.

Jodie Foster voiced the evil tattoo. That was still too silly of a thing for me. I did like seeing the problems faced by Scully, and having her show some flaws.

Chernobyl S1 E5

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“Vichnaya Pamyat”

This series concluded with a powerful episode that saw testimony in a trial of the people facing the blame for what happened on April 26, 1986.

Boris, Legasov and Ulana would all testify about the events of the night and the way that Anatoly Dyatlov ignored protocol in his attempt to complete a required test. However, when Legasov took the microphone, he explained out the process of the way a power plant worked. But it was not only that, but Legasov, putting his own life on the line, talked about how the flaw in the AZ-5 system led to the failure of the shutdown procedure, and thus it being a failure of the Soviet Union for the devastation.

The court scenes were full of tension and made for a dramatic way to wrap up this fantastic five-episode series. The acting in the series was on display in this episode even more than before. Stellan Skarsgård and Jared Harris really stood out among this wonderful ensemble. Neither of them were shown as heroes. Both characters knew that they were not heroes, yet they were doing what they knew was right.

I can see why Legasov made the decision to kill himself after hearing the way he was going to be treated as he slowly got sick from the radiation. It is a powerful piece of entertainment with an amazing result.

American Horror Story: Delicate S12 E9

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“The Auteur”

Mercifully, this is over.

Thank goodness.

Since this came back from its break, Delicate has been nearly unwatchable. The finale was as bad of an episode of AHS that I think I have ever seen. It wished to be at a B-movie level. It does not reach that.

Maybe this was meant to be all camp. I did not get that impression from the rest of the episodes of the season, but maybe that is what it was intended to be. If that was the case, they succeeded.

Before the break, Delicate was okay, but I was not in love with the show. It was engaging enough to keep me coming back, but the last four episodes were just continually sliding down the level of quality until it was just a joke.

I thought Emma Roberts was overacting like crazy. Kim Kardashian was nothing more than a villain who had to use shock value instead of actual horror to get a reaction.

This is probably my least favorite season of AHS that I have seen. I am glad it is over.

The X-Files S4 E12

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“Leonard Betts”

This was one of my favorite X-Files episode. It was originally shown after Super Bowl XXXI and it brought the weird. A cancer-ridden mutant who needs cancer to feed on. A mutant named Leonard Betts who was decapitated in the beginning of the show, but who was able to regrow limbs, including his head.

Not only that, but Leonard was able to diagnose someone who has cancer. It is because it is what he needs. This kicks off the Scully cancer arc that was difficult to watch when it aired. I did not know what was going to happen to Scully and this was an excellent twist.

Mulder also pulled out some exceptional lines this episode that made me laugh out loud. When Scully asked him why they were investigating Leonard Betts body’s disappearance from the morgue, Mulder responded with “Did I mention Mr. Betts had no head.” That line stuck out in my memory because I loved it so much.

Leonard Betts was a fantastic villain, played by Paul McClane. He did an excellent job in this role. I have seen him in several other episodes of TV, including The Practice, and he is always outstanding.

This was so creepy of a show, with a scene where we see Leonard shed his skin and create what seemed like another Leonard and one of them wound up dead in a fiery car explosion.

I did love how Betts came after Scully and she was able to fight him off inside an ambulance. Scully looked great in this fight and she used her surroundings well. I loved how she did not need anyone to rescue her, even after the reveal that Betts was after her because of her cancer.

Excellent episode and a shocking reveal.

Chernobyl S1 E4

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“The Happiness of All Mankind”

Chernobyl has been just an amazing show so far. Four tragic episodes that showed the horrible events that happened in the Soviet Union and the Soviet’s attempts to fix the problem without admitting to any problems.

We got a new arc here too as Barry Keoghan appeared as a soldier who joined a couple of others to shoot the animals of the infected area This was very tough as they were killing several pets, dogs, cats and a painful scene with puppies, and then taking the bodies to bury beneath cement. Keoghan’s character had never done something like this and the anguish of the situation was obvious. This was a rough part of the episode, but provided some amazing character moments.

Then Boris went to town on the phone.

I called the line that he would say afterwards, “We need another phone.” Boris was angry with the Kremlin because they were not being helpful. The explosion of frustration made for a brilliant scene.

Then, when the robots could not do what they needed, they recruited people to do it. Oh goodness.

This has been unbelievable and I wonder how accurate the series is to the truth.

Man from Atlantis S1 E16, E17

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“Siren”

“Deadly Carnival”

This brings to an end the rewatch (although I do not remember any of these specific episodes, so we could consider it a watch instead) of the late 1970s TV show Man from Atlantis starring Patrick Duffy, who left from this show after its cancelation and moved to Dallas where he had some huge success as the brother of J.R. Ewing, Bobby.

These were the two episodes that did not have Dr. Elizabeth Merrill, as played by Belinda J. Montgomery. In “Siren,” they did make a reference to her being gone because she was doing something with the Senate, giving a nice little touch to continuity. They did not mention her at all in “Deadly Carnival.”

There was a mermaid in the first of these two episode who could sing a song that could cause pain or mesmerize people. Billy Barty guest starred in the second episode as our main villain, a midget who, along with a man who can conduct electricity, were planning a heist and Mark wound up in the middle of it.

Both of these episodes are definitely watchable. Neither of them are great, but neither are bad either. That kind of describes Man from Atlantis’ entire run. It was fine. Nothing great, nothing offensive. I don’t know if I would ever go out of my way to watch any of the episodes again, but I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing some of them if they just happened to be on.

I do like the fact that they had new villains in each of the last several episodes. Not that I disliked Mister Schubert. I did like him and I always liked Victor Buono, but he was just overused, particularly early in the season.

It is a shame that they never went into the secret of Mark Harris’ past more. They barely mentioned it. I would think that someone like Mark would be very driven to discover what was out there in his background, to see if he could trigger any memories of where he had come from. Maybe they had intended on doing this later on, but with the single season being all they got, it was not done.

Patrick Duffy actually wrote a book about the backstory and the history of Mark Harris and Atlantis. I just ordered it on Amazon because Mark Harris is a character that I really loved, despite some of the flaws of the series, this character was unlike many on TV, then or now.

I am pleased to have completed Man from Atlantis on Amazon Prime.

X-Men ’97 S1 E7

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“Bright Eyes”

X-Men ’97 is not a kids show. Where as the original X-Men animated series from the 90s was absolutely made for children, this is anything but. While kids could watch and enjoy this show, the themes are considerably more adult than the previous incarnation.

Rogue going rogue showed us that. There is no way that we see Rogue kill Trask in the 90s series. But we saw that here in one of the most dramatic ways possible. Seeing him turn into a hybrid human/sentinel did not change the fact that she let a man fall to his death.

We also saw someone smother Henry Peter Gyrich to death. I am ashamed that I did not recognize Bastion immediately. He is a character that came into prominence during a stretch when I was not reading as many comics as I am now. Still, I should have identified this character sooner.

Having Bastion as the big bad is genius. Having him above Sinister even makes this character an immediate threat. His toying with a captive, yet still alive Magneto was creepy as could be.

I love the inclusion of Nightcrawler this week, but I am surprised that Storm did not make her return yet. She’ll be back soon, I am sure but to see her not at Remy’s funeral was disappointing.

That was another scene that I was not sure we would see. The funeral of Remy LeBeau, aka Gambit was tough. Does this mean that Gambit is truly gone? I know no one is ever truly gone when you are talking about the X-Men, but this felt very final to me. I know the showrunner said that the sacrifices of episode five were definite, that they were there to maintain stakes, but even still. Gambit is a major player in the X-Men universe.

Captain America making a cameo in this episode was interesting, if not unnecessary. Seeing Rogue fling the shield off into the mountains was rude. Emma Frost and her diamond form made an appearance too, saved from the rubble of Madripoor.

They do a remarkable job of packing so much content into a 30-minute episode. It is quite impressive and never feels too short.

The final three episodes, entitled “Tolerance is Extinction,” are a three part saga that the showrunner indicated would be as dramatic as episode five. That can’t get here soon enough. X-Men ’97 has been some amazing television so far.