Tag Archives: tv

The Bear S3 E4, E5

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“Violet”

“Children”

The Champ is here!

Or at least John Cena is here, starting in episode 5, as Sammy Fak, Neil and Theodore’s brother. And he brings his excellent comedic timing to an amazing scene stealing cameo on the show that kills all the cameos.

I loved John Cena’s arrival and appearance. He was very entertaining as the show progressed. So was The Computer, a man brought in by Oliver Platt to tell Carmy and the rest of the staff what the future of their restaurant is and how they can improve it to make things better. Most of his suggestions are ways that they waste money and how they could do better.

The Computer was there basically to bring Oliver Platt back in. The whole scene in the back with Platt, The Computer, Carmy and the rest was really entertaining, especially when Sammy joined in.

Episodes four and five are two of the calmer episodes of the third season so far. The typical conflict the show has spotlighted over the first three episodes is toned down. There is a small bit of it, but the conflict is done more as a way for humor, such as Sammy ‘haunting’ Theodore because he had taken Sammy’s SD cards.

Carmy was at a lower level of crazy here, as he is starting to wonder if he is messing things up. Learning that his friend and mentor Chef Terry had to shut her restaurant had an impact on him and maybe brought him back to reality. Maybe he just kept his distance from Richie.

We get some sweet scenes with Richie and his daughter. Richie also shows how great of a dad he is when he asks Sugar if he should back out of his relationship with her so it would not be weird with Frank (Josh Harnett of all people).

There is also a review that is being written of The Bear that is causing some anxiety.

These two episodes were solid with less hectic drive of the first three this season which made for a nice change before things clearly will amp back up as the second half of season three gets underway.

The Bear S3 E3

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“Doors”

Another absolutely tense and stressful episode as we see several days at the Bear and how the conflicts are driving everyone nuts.

Carmy, Richie and their baggage exploded at least once and threatened to do so several other times. The stress of having to do everything perfect is pushing the chefs to their breaking point. Oliver Platt made another guest appearance raving over the cost of what was being purchased. He said the restaurant was filled every night, but why was their no money?

And after every intense scene, someone hollers “doors” indicating that everything is starting over again.

Things are at a high level of intensity at The Bear and it is clearly leading to trouble.

By the way, Carmy had another round of flashbacks during a particularly stressful moment in the kitchen, making me wonder if that PTSD comment I made from episode one was right on the money. How these flashbacks are triggers for Carmy when the PTSD is getting to high.

Need to take a break from this show for a little bit. It is so anxiety-filled that I feel the same way. It is amazing, but I just do not like the binge method for this show. Needs some down time with it.

The Bear S3 E1

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“Tomorrow”

WTF was that?

I have to say that the first episode of season three of FX’s series The Bear (which is listed as a comedy for awards consideration, but there are not very many laughs inside), was a visual trip. About half way through the episode I had to stop and go back to read a synopsis of the final episode of season two to try and remember exactly what happened to see if I could determine what was going on.

I did not succeed.

I am guessing that this flashback episode, which jumped between moments from Carmy’s distant and recent past, was designed as a consciousness of thought. In my research, I found a site that mentioned that flashbacks could be a sign of PTSD, or perhaps dissociation (Tully, verywellmind). I found that intriguing since the final episode of season two certainly put Carmy through the ringer, being trapped in his freezer, breaking up with his girlfriend all on the night of his big opening for the restaurant The Bear, albeit friends and family night.

Could this first episode be a mental response from Carmy for the trauma from the first night?

Some of the moments we saw in the flashbacks we had already seen, such as the flashback to the family dinner from season two episode “Fishes” and we saw scenes that I either did not remember or that we new. I do not remember seeing the phone call from Sugar to Carmy dealing with their brother’s suicide.

This first episode absolutely required the viewers to stop and give the show its complete attention because there was no straightforward narrative structure to the episode, but it provided some deep investigation inside the mind of Carmy.

The Bear is currently streaming on Hulu and on Disney +.

Doctor Who S14 Finale

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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.

Doctor Who S14 E7

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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.

The Boys S4 E1, E2, E3

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“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.

Sweet Tooth S3 E1

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“The Beginning is also the End”

The final season of Sweet Tooth dropped on Netflix this weekend. This is based on a comic book from one of my favorite writers, Jeff Lemire, and has been a great two season series. Now, Gus, Big Man, Bear and Wendy are on their way to Alaska to find Gus’s mom, who happens to be in bunch of trouble herself.

Christian Convery returned as the titular character and shows, once again, how perfectly he was cast as the deer hybrid, Gus. The young actor exudes charm and warmth, making this character the perfect protagonist for this world filled with sickness and cruelty.

Jeb, aka Big Man, has to face his own problems as he is trying to continue to protect Gus. Big Man is getting older and life’s conflicts just don’t bounce off him as they used to do.

The first episode provides some further insight into the relationship between the two hybrids, Gus and Wendy. They both seem to be the most good hearted characters you could hope to see, and I hope that does not lead to their eventual downfall.

With the first episode cliffhanger, the arrival of Dr. Singh wanting to talk about Alaska, the show kicked off with a bang. There was an avalanche in the Rocky Mountains that was awesome, placing another challenge before our foursome.

Jeff Lemire has written some of my favorite comic series from outside of Marvel, but I never read Sweet Tooth. It has that same feel that one might get when reading Fishflies. I do not know how much the series has stuck to the comics, but I can definitely feel the touch of Lemire in the story.

Sweet Tooth on Netflix has a total of 8 episodes in the final season.

Doctor Who S14 E5

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S14 E5, S1 E6???

SPOILERS

“Dot and Bubble”

Wow, what an ending.

At first, I thought this was going to be an episode with a theme about the dangers of social media, but it became so much more in the last five minutes.

Lindy is our main protagonist in this world called Finetime. She was very unlikable but the Doctor and Ruby tried their best to help her avoid being eaten by a large bug-monster creatures. These bug-creatures are just really creepy and seeing them devouring the people of Finetime was unnerving.

Most of the episode had the Doctor and Ruby appearing on screens inside the ‘bubble’ , the screen-like function that went around their heads and allowed them access to the social media world. They did a great job without being in much of the episode.

Lindy became even more unlikable as the episode progressed and when Ricky September showed up and she tossed him to the wolves, I really started to want to see her pay for her meanness.

Only it got even more.

The last five minutes revealed that Lindy was a racist and she made implications that she wouldn’t go with him because he was different. It did not come right out and said it was because he was black, but that is absolutely what she was referring to in that ending.

Going back for a minute. In the Bubble, the Doctor and Ruby see whom Lindy said was her mummy, but it was the same actress who has been in all the other previous episodes. She is played by Susan Twist, and this episode, the Doctor and Ruby realized that they recognized her face from previous episodes.

I think this is an episode where a second watch, after knowing the ending, makes the rest of the episode look differently than it did on the first view.

Another strong episode with a very creative story.

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.

Them: The Scare S2 E7, E8

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“One of Us Is Gonna Die Tonight”

“The Box”

This is what American Horror Story: Delicate wished it could be.

I was very disappointed with AHS this year as the classic horror anthology series just failed in this season. However, Them: The Scare was everything that AHS was not.

I had not seen the first season of Them, so some of the things that happened in the finale seemed a little confusing. I could only guess (and then confirmed after the show was done) that the photo and the woman giving baby Dawn and Edmond away had some tie to the first season (she did) and that the weird creature at the end also tied it to the first season (yup, it was something called Da Tap Dance Man).

So we have a connection between the first and second seasons, but the story of this season was all about family and the pain of being rejected and tossed away. The seventh episode does a tremendous job of laying out everything that we needed to know to understand what was happening and gave us a horrendous end for Athena Reeve (Pam Grier).

With the exception of the arrival of Da Tap Dance Man, there was plenty of satisfying moments in the finale. The confrontation between Dawn and Edmond was tense and powerful, showing how much love still existed between the twins, even if Dawn had forgotten about him. The scene of Edmond killing himself and giving himself over to the demon with the red hair was tough to watch. The shooting of McKinney was dramatic and pleasing to see the rotten racist get his comeuppance.

This was just so creepy. The imagery of the red-headed man will never allow me to look at Raggedy Andy the same way ever again.

There were several times that I found myself holding my breath from the tension of the situation. The performances were top notch and the tone was just so exceptional.

Them: The Scare was everything you would want in a horror anthology series, filled with thrills and anxiety and a story with themes of family, loss and rejection. I loved this show and I was happy I gave it a chance. Them: The Scare is on Amazon Prime.

The Jinx Part Two S2 E1, E2

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“Why are You Still Here?”

“Friendships Die Hard”

I never expected that there would be more for The Jinx. I loved that docuseries when it originally aired on HBO, but it felt like it was one and done. When I discovered that there was a part two that had already started, I was excited to see this story continue. I rewatched the first season of The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst in preparation. With that done (and still as shockingly engaging as it was the first time), I was able to watch the first two episodes of the second season.

While there has not been anything quite as shocking as “killed them all, of course” to this point, the story of Bob Durst continues to be riveting, to the point of being spellbinding.

One of the early highlights of episode one of season two was the scene where Kathie’s family, the prosecutors and investigators and others viewed the streaming of the final episode of The Jinx at Andrew Jarecki’s home. Their reactions to some of the other scenes were fascinating, but the moment where Bob gives his accidental bathroom confession was surreal. The gasps and the stunned silence gave way to a buzz through the room of excitement and anticipatory expectations. There was a palatable relief for so many of these people.

The first episode included the fallout from the airing of The Jinx, including Bob’s decision to go on the run after the fifth episode. Bob is both one step ahead of everyone and foolishly naive at the same time. Bob’s biggest problem seems to be his desire to talk to anyone about anything. Doing the interview with Jarecki in the first season felt like a self-destructive decision, but that did not stop Bob. Why does he make that choice? We hear Bob admit in season two that doing the Jarecki interview was a huge mistake.

The second episode focused on Bob’s friends and confidants that Bob may have confessed to or those people who may have helped him at some point during this adventure. In particular, was Nick “Chinga” Chavin, who was about as close to Bob as you could get. The thing was that he was also very close with Susan Berman, and that loyalty was a theme of this episode. Chavin’s belief in becoming famous as a singer in a “country porn” band with songs such as “Cum Stains on My Pillow (Where Your Sweet Head Used to Be)” continues to be an unbelievable feature of this overall story.

Another shocking person here is Susie Giordano, who we see Bob state that he wished he had married. She and Bob are apparently in love, to the chagrin of Bob’s wife, Debbie. You can’t make this stuff up. No one would believe it.

I love these first tow episodes, even if it does not really provide us any further specifics of the case that we need to know. It is all setting up what is to come with the Bob Durst trial, I can only assume.

I have caught up to where the season is currently for releases. Each new episodes (the four remaining) will be arriving on Max on Sundays and I will be anxious to see the next installment.

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst S1 E5

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“Family Values”

Episode five goes into more of the Durst family drama, including the apparent hard feelings between Robert and his younger brother Doug, who had taken over the running of the family business.

The sibling rivalry part of this docuseries was truly weird. Robert had some real issues with his brother Doug and Doug was avoiding everything to do with his brother, especially the documentary that was being film about him.

But the real meat of this episode was back with the murder of Susan Berman, who was murdered in Los Angeles. Susan had been a huge Robert Durst supporter, but she wound up death, with a bullet in the back of her head, execution-style in her home. There was a timeline laid out that indicated that Robert could have done it. He is placed in California, but not actually in LA. Even Robert said it though, they never placed in in LA and California is a big state. That line from Robert was chilling. He clearly stated this as a way to show what his defense would be if this charge ever became reality.

But then the letter was found that had been sent by Robert to Susan that matched the letter that had been sent to the LA police, that had the same misspelling of Beverly Hills, with an extra E in the word. The handwriting sure looked to match between the two documents. Andrew Jarecki wanted to record the reaction of Robert to this piece of evidence that no one knew they had.

This is what would lead to the bombshell next episode. The insanity of this entire show has been off the charts and this little man is just an amazing character that you find so difficult to believe was real.

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.

Twin Peaks S2 E21

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“Miss Twin Peaks”

The penultimate episode of season two of Twin Peaks came hard to the Miss Twin Peaks contest as Windham Earle, dressed as the Log Lady, kidnapped Annie after her victory in the contest.

The entire moment felt so chaotic, bringing back the moments of the flashing strobe lights when Bob or the Giant would show up.

After Annie and Cooper got busy in his Great Northern room, she was clearly the target that would make the most sense for the revenge-minded Earle.

Andy comes through big time too, with an explanation of the mysterious cave drawing actually being a map!

You could tell that this episode was ramping back up into a more intense level. Much of the series had wandered since the reveal of the killer of Laura Palmer. Some parts had been good, some were bad. It felt unrefined and inconsistent. This had a much better feel to it. Even the Miss Twin Peaks contest, which was one of the areas of the recent weeks that were not the strongest, created some serious moments.

This sets up the finale of season two, which, it seemed, would be the finale of the series. However, a surprise season three came back on Showtime. When I finish the next episode, I plan on taking a time out before the season three rewatch (probably in the summer).

Shogun S1 E8

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“The Abyss of Life”

Whoa.

The scene near the end of this episode was unbelievably powerful and tense. The confrontation between Toranaga and Hiromatsu, which led to Hiromatsu committing seppuku. Man, what a moment among a pretty solid episode filled with moments.

It seemed as if Toranaga has more planned than what it appeared. He claimed that Osaka must believe he has given everything up. The loss of his son last episode and Hiromatsu’s death in this one has given Toranaga, who appeared very sick and frail from the trip, time.

John faced a member of his crew finally after months and it did not go well either. John had attempted to sway Yabushige to forming an alliance. Yabushige rejects the offer in name of loyalty to Toranaga. However, the death of Hiromatsu changed his opinion, saying that he did not want to die for the crazy old man.

There was a powerful scene over some tea between Mariko and her husband Buntaro. Buntaro wished to have them both commit suicide as a protest to Toranaga’s decision, but Mariko came out and specifically said that she did not want to follow him into death and that she would rather live a thousand years because of the way he had treated her.

Two more episodes remaining in this series and who knows where it is heading. This one left that knot in my stomach as I watched the pain involved in the machinations of Taranaga.