Category Archives: TV-G[eek]

The X-Files S3 E8, E9, E10

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“Oubliette”

“Nisei”

“731”

X-Files season three has been rocking.

“Oubliette” was a stand alone “monster-of-the-week” episode that had a more human ‘monster’ than typical. The supernatural aspect was a strange, empathic connection between the current victim of the ‘monster’ and a previous victim from years before.

A young girl named Amy was abducted by photography assistant Carl Wade. At the same time across town, waitress Lucy was going through the same pain/injuries as Amy.

Lucy had been kidnapped by Carl Wade when she was younger and spent five years in a black pit as his captive. She survived, but the experience was scarring for her entire life.

The other two episodes returned to the government conspiracy/aliens mythology that the show had made so popular. It added layers of mystery to Scully’s abduction as well as laid out a plausible explanation of what was going on. 

There was a fun, meta moment on the show as Mulder had purchased a video for $29.95 of a reported alien autopsy. Scully made a snide remark about the alien autopsy that was aired on FOX around the same time criticizing it as “even hokier than the one they aired on the Fox network.” FOX, which was the network that aired the X-Files, had shown a TV special, Alien Autopsy (Fact or Fiction) in 1995 that was eventually shown to be a hoax.

The X-Files mythology is one of the problems of the show, especially as the seasons moved on. The mysteries felt too big, and as more and more was piled on, it got to the point that anything that they would do to reveal the truth would never be able to be sufficient. So while each episode on its own were highly entertaining and exciting, when looked at as a whole, I am not sure that everything worked together. ”Nisei” and “731” were great episodes with some excellent action, but did it work with other mythological episodes in the past or future of the series? I’m not so sure.

True Detective: Night Country S4 E5

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“Part Five”

I had forgotten that True Detective: Night Country was releasing its penultimate episode on Friday night instead of its typical Sunday night because of the inevitable competition of the Super Bowl. I did not think of it until tonight as I was watching American Nightmare on Netflix. After that was over, I pulled up Max and loaded up episode 5.

What an episode.

The confrontation at Danvers’ home between Hank Prior, Danvers, Otis and Peter was just shocking. Watching Peter put a bullet into his father’s head to protect Danvers after his father had shot and killed Otis was an unbelievable scene. 

The scene between Peter and Danvers at the police station was compelling as hell and really set up what was to come.

It was a tough episode for Peter, ending with one of the most tragic things that he had to do. He could not stand there and watch his father execute Danvers and so his hand was forced.

Hank did confess that he did not kill Annie, but he did move the body. I guess you can scratch him off the suspects list. With Navarro and Danvers on their way to the cave where Annie was killed, I expect all kinds of drama coming next week in the finale.

By the way, the Tsalal deaths have been deemed an accident by way of an avalanche by the medical examiners in Anchorage. This, of course, is fairly coincidental as Pete had just found evidence linking Silver Sky Mining with Tsalal. Silver Sky Mining’s exec Kate McKittrick is clearly crooked and had ordered Hank to make sure Otis could not take Liz and Navarro to the caves.

Something is in those caves and the reveal next week could be epic.

American Nightmare

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Unbelievable.

I have had this three episode true crime documentary on my list at Netflix for a few weeks now and I found a time to binge it tonight. What an unbelievable story. Shocking and outrageous in many ways.

Honestly, even the manner the show presented the story messed with the emotions and the comprehension of the audience. What actually happened? It laid out the story in a definite manner that was meant to have audience members draw their own conclusions… and then they flipped the script.

In 2015, Denise Huskins was the victim of a home invasion that led to her kidnapping. Her boyfriend Aaron Quinn reported the abduction the next day, claiming that he had been instructed that the kidnappers were watching him on a camera and that they would hurt Denise if he called the police.

The Vallejo Police investigated but the story of the kidnapping was so out there that they switched gears and began to believe that Aaron was responsible for Denise’s disappearance.

Then, she returned.

At this point, the police began thinking that this is a real-life case based on the Ben Affleck movie Gone Girl, and that this kidnapping was a hoax.

Except, it wasn’t.

This was amazingly compelling. The first episode focused on Aaron’s story and how the police were looking at the case. the POV of law enforcement was a major theme throughout all three episodes. I was shocked when Denise came strolling to her father’s house at the end of the first episode.

Episode two dealt with her story and the horrors that she went through. Again, her story was so wild that it was difficult to believe and it was much easier for the police to believe that a hoax was a much more likely scenario.

I really liked this doc because it had quite a bit of finality to it. A lot of these true crime docs that I have seen have an air of uncertainty to them, perhaps a mystery that is still unsolved. This may have had some unanswered questions (in particular, the kidnapper had told Denise that he had intended to kidnap Aaron’s ex instead of her), but there was a very definitive result which I truly appreciated.

It is a resounding accusation against police forces in the area that did not believe the stories of the women victims and instead, chose to relate it to a fictionalized movie. It also showed that there were police officers who took their jobs seriously and were dedicated to finding the truth, in particular Misty Carausu, a police officer with the Dublin Police Department in Dublin, California, who found the kidnapper, found goggles and a strand of long blonde hair that she eventually tied to Denise. It was the efforts of Misty Carausu that led to the arrest and conviction of the kidnapper/rapist, Matthew Muller.

This was an amazing documentary series, shocking and a powerful watch. I am very pleased that I decided to watch this compelling story.

Moonlighting S4 E8 E9

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“Los Dos Dipestos”

“Here’s Living with You, Kid”

Back to back Miss Dipesto/Herbert Viola episodes? Wow. David (only in Los Dos Dipestos)and Maddie (not at all, actually) appeared in a combined 2 minutes (maybe) in these two episodes. 

This show did no favors for Allyce Beasley and Curtis Armstrong are clearly professionals and had to step up when Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd were unavailable for whatever reasons they were unavailable. Still, the show was all Dave and Maddie and when the supporting characters tried to be the leads, it never worked the way it was intended.

And… that does not mean that these two episodes were bad. In fact, they both had some charm to them. It was just that they were playing Dave and Maddie, but they were not Dave and Maddie. I would say that I enjoyed these two episodes considerably more now than I did back when they were on ABC and I was hoping for Dave and Maddie to show up.

The first episode we met Agnes’s mother, played by Imogene Coca- which, by the way, is perfect casting. Imogene Coca was wonderful as Agnes’s mom and the relationship with Viola was furthered. It just was not Dave and Maddie. Any time either Agnes or Bert broke the fourth wall, it just felt wrong.

Then, the next episode had some dream sequences including several scenes with Bert and Agnes in Casablanca. Again, the show had its moments, but you could feel the absence of the stars. 

This re-watch has helped me come to terms with my hatred for the character of Herbert Viola. I am sure a lot of my vitriol came from missing Dave and Maddie and directing that anger at him. Not at Agnes, who had been on the show since the beginning and I had bonded with. I also did not, and still do not, love the way Herbert is written. Making him such a blowhard and so obnoxious so often just made it even worse when it was not Dave and Maddie. Bruce Willis can be obnoxious and still be full of charm, but Curtis Armstrong could not pull it off like Willis. 

Both of these episodes were okay. They were probably really good by comparison to other shows. It just did not feel like Moonlighting.

The X-Files S3 E7

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“The Walk”

There were quite a few episodes of the X-Files from season one, during this rewatch, that I had not seen before. However, those had come to an end during season two so it was a surprise when episode 7 of season three was an episode that I did not remember seeing before.

“The Walk” featured a whole bunch of stuff, from astral travel to villains with both legs and arms amputated.

The episode included a revenge plot by that soldier with the arms and legs gone that led him to killing family members of the people he blamed for his pain. It was a dark episode, especially when we saw him bury a general’s son alive with his astral form.

The episode was decent. The actor playing the villain was okay, but perhaps not to the level of some of the other scary villains in the rogue’s gallery of the X-Files. Though it did feel kind of odd having Mulder try to intimidate him while the man was in bed. 

It was a satisfying watch, one which I did not remember from before.

The X-Files S3 E6

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“2Shy”

This was an X-Files horror episode at its finest.

I seemed to like this more than some of the other online critics that I have seen. I thought this villain, Virgil Incanto, was very scary and rather creepy. His “fat-sucking vampire” character was pretty horrific.

Is he too much like a little brother to Eugene Tooms? Maybe. There are definitely similarities to the characters, but as a monster-of-the-week on the X-Files, I found Incanto to be very successful.

I liked how it was Scully, along with one of Incanto’s intended victims, who brought him down. Especially after the local detective Alan Cross dropped some “old fashion” values on Scully, implying that he did not think that women should be in this position. Cross wound up dead in the bathtub and Scully stood tall at the end. I would have preferred her to be a little more responsible for the monster’s capture than his intended victim, who shot him with Scully’s gun that she just left on the floor.

Still, I was fully engaged with the story and I was happy that they did capture the villain at the end and he just did not slither off to continue his spree of fat-sucking.

True Detective: Night Country S4 E4

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“Part Four”

Night Country continues to be a creepy and, at times, devastating look at both mental illness and the effects of isolation and the lack of daylight.

This week, Navarro’s sister, diagnosed with several mental illnesses, leaves the clinic and walks into the water, drowning herself. To say that Navarro does not respond positively to the news is an understatement. She flies off the handle at the clinic and then picks a fight with a group of men who leave her bloodied and battered.

Meanwhile, things aren’t great for Danvers. Her step-daughter leaves, Danvers spends Christmas Eve alone and drunk.

Navarro is seeing some horrors and she is afraid that the mental illness ran through her family. Ghosts are everywhere here apparently.

The supernatural element of this show has really started kicking into high gear. When Otis Heiss said that they were in the “night country” now, it really felt like something creepy.

And I really feel for Navarro.

The show has been firing on all cylinders for me and, with just two episodes left, I’m excited to see the mystery of the Tsalal murder solved.

Death and Other Details S1 E3

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“Troublesome”

I watched the third episode of Death and Other Details on Hulu tonight titled “Troublesome.” I have to say that I have not quite been absorbed by the series so far.

I really do enjoy Mandy Patinkin in the lead role as Rufus. He is awesome and he certainly carries himself like a star. 

However, I have struggled getting to know the rest of the characters involved in the story. Most of them have not been characters that I have been engaged with and I am having a difficult time knowing who they are.

I don’t know if I needed more introductions to these people or if I did not give the show enough attention, but it has been okay for me at best.

There is a new detective on board, Agent Hilde Eriksen, whom I find kind of intriguing. I like ho she has played off Rufus so far and I hope things will continue to improve over the next several episodes.

Moonlighting S4 E3, E4, E5, E6, E7

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“Take a Left at the Altar”

“A Tale of Two Cities”

“Cool Hand Dave Part I”

“Cool Hand Dave Part II”

“Father Knows Last”

A Sunday afternoon spent with the fourth season of Moonlighting is an enjoyable thing. Even with the fourth season being quite a step down, including much of the time where Dave and Maddie were separated between two cities.

Cybill Shepherd’s pregnancy caused some of these issues, but there were other problems that led to this season.

In retrospect, the fourth season was better than I remembered but so many of the things that happened that just did not work for Moonlighting. A lot of it was fine for any other network show, but for Moonlighting, it was just not the same.

This is a stretch of time when Bert Viola became practically unbearable. Prior to these episodes, he had been okay. During this time, he was obnoxious, taking over for Dave in the office, and being overbearing. I think part of my dislike of the character came from Dave’s reaction to him. He was snarling at Bert, rolling his eyes and wishing him leave. That made me think Bert wasn’t worth the time.

There was only one case during this time and it included Terry O’Quinn (John Locke from LOST). It was a typical Moonlighting case, but the chemistry with Dave and Bert during the chase scene just was not the same without Maddie.

The biggest issue with these episodes is that there is such an undercurrent of meanness to it. These characters who we love so much have such an anger and a bitterness to them that it just feels wrong.

In the Cool Hand Dave two part episode, Dave winds up in prison in one of the most convoluted manners possible. There is no way that it could have possibly worked this way, but there was a really fun musical number during it and Bob the Goon (Tracey Walter) from Batman ’89 was Dave’s cellmate.

In the end, these episodes are not great in comparison to the past seasons of Moonlighting, but watchable over all.

The X-Files S3 E5

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“The List”

The X-Files meets The Green Mile.

Or maybe Marv from Sin City.

Any depiction of the electric chair is somewhat disturbing for me so this episode started off with me on edge. When the prisoner stated that he had a list of those he wanted to exact his revenge upon, returning from the beyond to kill them all, well, the show made it really creepy.

Yet, it turned out to be strangely satisfying despite being unresolved for Mulder and Scully.

J.T. Walsh had a sufficiently rotten turn as Warden Brodeur, a character that clearly had little redeeming qualities. His final fate, in a cool action sequence for the show, was worthwhile.

Written and directed by series creator Chris Carter, this episode is a solid stand-alone, monster-of-the-week episode that definitely had its place among the X-Files oeuvre. 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians S1 E8

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“The Prophecy Comes True”

I was unaware that this would be the season one finale of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I had it in my head that the show would be 10 episodes. I don’t know why, but I did not anticipate that tonight was the final episode on Disney +.

Of course, it made everything happening during the last seven episodes make more sense. I did think that some of the episodes were rushing through their stories, but with this being the finale, I understood that more.

I also did not anticipate the late , great Lance Reddick showing up as Zeus in one of his final TV appearances before his way-too-soon death last year.

Percy stepped up big time in this episode. When he had his showdown with Adam Copeland’s Ares, I thought that was cool, but as he marched himself off to Mt. Olympus to go face to face with Zeus, well, that took some guts. 

I really think Walker Scobell showed some serious progression of his skills over this season. You could see the confidence in the young actor as the character became more his with each episode. To the point where he was absolutely a leader and a hero by the finale.

Season one was a lot of fun and I was surprised how much I looked forward to a new episode every Tuesday night. I did not miss a Tuesday night and I sure do hope that this will receive another season promptly. 

Oh, and the tag at the end of the episode….gold!

True Detective: Night Country S4 E3

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“Part Three”

Holy crap.

Okay, I was thinking that this episode was slow and there was not too much going down. I mean there was some minimal advancement on the case and there was some good character development, especially for Navarro.

Then, the last fifteen minutes or so, shit went crazy.

So much so that when the episode went to black, I was feeling uneasy and downright disturbed from the video on Annie’s phone and the unnatural warning from the injured  Dr. Anders Lundt, with his legs amputated. This supernatural twist was creepy as all hell and really punctuated the scene, with him making a comment about Navarro’s mom. Coincidentally, we found out earlier this episode what had happened to her.

We also discovered the fact that the six dead, frozen bodies most likely had not died of being frozen, that they were dead before they were frozen. 

I also found out that the season is now half over, which was shocking to me. There is so much going on right now that I hope they are able to nail the landing on this series because it is truly compelling at this point.

Moonlighting S4 E1, E2

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“A Trip to the Moon”

“Come Back Little Shiksa”

After the end of season three, with David and Maddie making love, season four went in a dark and downer direction with Maddie not sure where the relationship was going. So she ran off to Chicago.

This show just never worked well when it did not have David AND Maddie front and center.

I know part of it was Cybill Shepherd’s real life pregnancy as Maddie was hiding behind just about anything she could in these two episodes to hide her belly. Still, the way the story went, you just felt so bad for David, who was trying everything, and it was hard to understand what was going through Maddie’s head.

The two episodes had some fun things. There was a Honeymooners parody in a dream sequence with David as Ralph, Maddie as Alice, DiPesto as Trixie and Richie (David’s brother, played by Charles Rocket) as Norton. There was an appearance by Ray Charles singing in a dream sequence for David (“Hit the Road, Dave”). Episode two had a Claymation argument between Dave and Maddie, and Dave gets turned into a horny toad. John Goodman had a guest starring role. Dr. Joyce Brothers appeared to Maddie in the mirror too. 

There was just the magic missing. 

I know the fourth season is really a tough one. I hope on second watch, it will be better than I remember.

Masters of the Universe: Revolution

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The sequel to the Masters of the Universe: Revelations from filmmaker Kevin Smith dropped on Netflix this weekend with five-episodes that ran around a half hour each. This made the series a simple binge and satisfying story with some classic characters if the 1980s.

Another fun tidbit for the series was hearing the voice talents of Mark Hamill and William Shatner working together. Having Luke and Kirk together in any manner is a Geek dream.

The story basically continues from the Revelations series as the characters were dealing with fall-out of everything that happened there when Prince Adam’s father fell ill, so badly sick that he was not long for the world.

There were some solid emotional bits in the story and some good character arcs, especially for Evil-Lynn. Her eventual redemption was one of the most satisfying of the entire series. The show also went into the origin of Skeletor, tying him to Adam in an unexpected way.

There were a lot of voices on the internet that spewed out venom and hatred over the Revelations series when it first came out on Netflix. It got so bad that it was pretty clear that Kevin Smith had been discouraged over it. You could hear the change come over him during his podcast Fatman Beyond. 

However, it seemed as if this time there are many more voices of positivity with this series. I hope Kevin takes in the well-deserved love and it makes him feel better. I really enjoyed Revelations, perhaps more so than Revolution. 

This series feels much more like a love letter to the original series than the previous one had. Revelations felt like he took the characters from the series and made them into deeper characters and put them on some arcs that may not have been popular, but were very interesting and thrilling. Here, it felt as if it were more about the story with the characters taking a bit of a back seat. With the fewer number of episodes, I think that was a wise choice.

The music/score of the animated show was sensational. Some of the music swelled with energy and passion, creating the perfect tone for most of the scenes. 

The animation was very good too. There are some truly beautiful shots of the action and the imagery of the surroundings.

The biggest drawback for me is another thing that connects it to the original series. I did not watch the He-Man show back in the 80’s and the weird, quippy dialogue/patter was cringey at times. When Lynn started to sing the K-I-S-S-I-N-G song, I could almost hear my eyes rolling into the back of my head. I understand that is the tone of the series and that it did have a place, but it was fairly annoying at times.

Otherwise, I think this was a satisfactory entry into the Master of the Universe mythos and longtime fans should find a lot here to praise instead of taking to the internet to rip down. 

Death and Other Details S1 E2

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“Sordid”

I got a chance to watch episode two of the new Hulu series, Death and Other Details featuring Mandy Patinkin as one of the world’s great gentlemen detectives, Rufus Cotesworth. 

Rufus goes about interviewing all of the passengers on the ship about the murder of Keith, Rufus’s friend and assistant who was on the ship undercover. Keith had been playing a role as such a jerk on the ship and wound up being murdered. Or was it because of his jerk-ness or was it tied to the old case of the murder of Imogene’s mother?

Mandy Patinkin is always great and he is, at this point, the reason to be watching this. I am still feeling my way along on this show, hoping to get more enthralled with the mystery than what I have so far.

Rufus certainly has shaken up the rest of the passengers, looking to see what he can find.