Tag Archives: tv

Shogun S1 E6

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“Ladies of the Willow World”

In episode six of Shogun, some big things happened.

We see some of Mariko’s back story, and see how tragic it actually was.

We go inside the best brothel and engage between John and Kuki, the top courtesan of the house. He was given this as a gift from Toranaga, a thank you for saving his life during the earthquake last episode. Of course, this was not what John had wanted, as he had asked once again for the return of his men and his ship. John wants to leave Japan, but Toranaga continues to keep him. He even promoted him to the head of his canon brigade.

An attempt to vote against Toranaga by the council failed, leading to the death of the regent who voted against the plan.

We continue to see the machinations of Ochiba no Kata, who has her own plans brewing clearly.

We learn of the plan called Crimson Sky, which is Toranaga’s forces launching an all out assault on Osaka, killing the regents and setting up a new form of government with Toranaga at the head. A Shogun. Toranaga rejected the plan at first, however, the death of regent Sugiyama changes his mind and we end the episode with Toranaga’s forces honoring their leader, preparing for their attack.

A fascinating episode as we dive into another aspect of the Japanese culture with the brothels. The manner in which sex is used is not what I am used to seeing. This show continues to be really great.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

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“Becoming”

Lookee there… it’s Father Gabriel.

Did not expect to see this former character again. Did not expect to see him interacting with Jadis. I really thought he was going to buy it at her hands in this episode. I am glad how it worked out for him.

Jadis, however, met her fate at the hands of Rick, via a walker. She caught up with Rick and Michonne and their showdown was very intense. It was unclear what was going to happen. Yet, when the walker took a bite out of Jadis’s neck, the end of the major feud came.

Jadis showed her inner humanity after the walker bite by telling Rick and Michonne the truth about the dossier that she had on Alexandria.

The whole wedding proposal reaction between Rick and Michonne was a beautiful moment before they return to the C.R.M. in the finale next week.

Man from Atlantis S1 E2

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“Death Scouts”

The second of the Man from Atlantis television movies was actually entitled “Man from Atlantis II: Death Scouts.”

According to Wikipedia, “Mark investigates the disappearance of three scuba divers, two of whom are ‘replaced’ by waterborne aliens (Tiffany Bolling as Lioa / Dilly and Burr DeBenning as Xos / Chazz). The aliens assignment is to scout Earth and check its defense capabilities. They also give the impression that Mark may also be one of them, specially bred for Earth infiltration.“

I was not wild about this story. While I appreciate them trying to tie Lioa and Xos to Mark’s background, it all felt kind of muddied. It seemed to indicate that they were lying about Mark when they informed him that he was from their planet, but at the end, it sounded as if Lioa had confirmed that he was from earth.

It was a messy story. If Mark did not have a connection to these two, why did they both have the webbed fingers? The symbol on Mark’s trunks, was I to understand that it is not the same as he saw in the spaceship?

I hope that this was a lie because I feel as if making Mark an alien from another planet is just lazy writing. I do not know if they will ever go into further details on his past in the short season one, but I’m sure it could be handled more deftly.

There were just too many plot holes for this tv movie. There were some decent sci-fi shots, several of which actually reminded me of The Land of the Lost, but the writing of the story felt off.

However, the shots of Patrick Duffy underwater continue to just amaze me. I am curious how they shot these, especially those that seem to have Mark in a tank of water for extended periods of time while on screen. How much did Patrick Duffy do on his own? I would love to know the specifics of these shots because they are the best underwater shots I think I have seen and this was 1977.

X-Men ’97

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“To Me, My X-Men”

“Mutant Liberation Begins”

I was not ready for the levels of AWESOMENESS that the new animated series, X-Men ’97, a continuation of the 1990s TV series, X-Men: The Animated Series, would be.

Honestly, I knew there had been positives said about it by many people, but I did not expect the amazing two episodes we got kicking off the series on Disney + today. This was simply epic.

The 90’s series was great in its day, but it does not hold up as well as some animated series. the storytelling in the first series was decent, but the clunky, block-like animation never looked very good. It always felt rushed, as the time frame never seemed to be long enough to sufficiently tell the story. While I loved the show when I was younger, my recent re-watch of a few episodes only enhanced my thoughts that this was not as great as I remembered.

This changes everything.

These two episodes, which deal with the continued rage against mutants and the after effects of the ‘death’ of Charles Xavier, are filled with emotion, action, potential storylines that are not just focused on children.

That is really the main change. The 1990s show was focused on children, while X-Men ’97 feels as if it is not only something that works for children, but also targets those same children of the 1990s who have now grown up. This is a decidedly more adult version of that show. The 1990s show was a cartoon. This is animation.

Speaking of the animation, it does a remarkable job of updating the look of this show without feeling as if it rejects the look of the original. It feels like a new style while still engaging the nostalgia of those fans of the 1990s X-Men show. It is really beautiful and laid out in a wonderful manner.

Cameos everywhere, from actual mutants like Roberto DeCosta to multiple mutants shapeshifted by Morph from everyone from Angel to Sabretooth. You had to keep your eyes open to see what Morph was doing next. And, by the way, I am not even going to address the controversy over Morph that sprung up online. Morph was just amazing. ‘Nuff said.

Note to all future X-Men live action shows or movies, this is how you do Cyclops. Talk about a character that has never been done properly in live action, Scott Summers is right at the top of that list with Doctor Doom. Cyclops is pitch perfect in these first two episodes of the new series.

Oh, and the 90’s show never allowed Storm to bring the level of kick ass as she did in these two episodes. She showed the Omega-level mutant that she is.

These first two episodes have laid the groundwork for some brilliant storylines moving forward. Nathan Summers? Rogue-Magneto? Gambit’s jealousy? Storm’s loss of powers? Roberto and Jubilee? Magneto’s attempt to go straight? Genosha? Was that Madeline Pryor? So many threads here to bare.

The voice cast is exceptional. I do not know how many actors came back to once again voice these characters, but the actors doing these voices sound very much like the cast from the 90’s show. They are exceptional.

What a treat these first two episodes were. I can not rave enough about how much I loved these two episodes. If the remainder of the 10 episodes are the quality of these first two, we are in for quite an amazing and possibly uncanny ride.

Shogun S1 E5

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“Broken to the Fist”

What a show this is.

An absolute banger of an episode after the huge and brutal episode last week, “Broken to the Fist” was truly a beautiful combination of conflicting cultures.

A few episodes ago, I wrote that Mariko’s husband, Buntaro, had been killed, but we did not see a death on screen so he may return someday. Someday was this episode as he arrived at the very beginning, immediately reclaiming the role of asshole that he seemed to have shook free of with this apparent sacrifice. The scene with Buntaro, Mariko and Blackthorne and the drunken bow and arrow display was about as tense of a scene as you are going to find.

This show is doing a marvelous job of portraying many truths of the Japanese culture of the time that I was unaware of and how it conflicts with the ideas of Blackthorne. I am never sure what the Japanese people in this show might consider shameful or what they may do in response. It is fascinating to watch them attempt to co-exist.

Especially with the secretive night that Blackthorne spent with the “cortisone” last episode. Mariko’s returning husband certainly places them both in jeopardy.

The earthquake at the end was devastating, showing the power of nature over everyone, including the most powerful of them all, Toranaga. Blackthorne’s immediate rush to save Toranaga was very heroic, but I did wonder how the Japanese would react this this? Did it insult honor to have this man save Toranaga? Did it show weakness of Toranaga? Just my own uncertainty of the culture makes this show unpredictable for me.

The whole scene when Blackthorne learned of the fate of his gardener and how it was indirectly his own fault was powerful. I knew that when John had stated if someone touched the peasant it would be death was an error, and it certainly came back to pay off at the end.

The army on its way sure picked a fine time to arrive.

This is very exciting and is one of the best TV shows going right now.

Moonlighting S5 E5

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“Shirts and Skins”

Episode five of season five of Moonlighting was really pretty good. My memory of season five was low quality, but it really does feel as if the show was trying to get back on track with some decent episodes.

This even avoided the end of the episode silly chase scene that has been a trope of the show for a good part of the run. This was a serious case that centered around a battle of the sexes.

Maddie and David find themselves on opposite sides of a criminal case as investigators and the stress of the situation was causing some serious issues between them and within the office of Blue Moon.

To be fair, the show was behind Maddie’s side of the case, as it featured a woman who had been fired for rejecting her boss’s sexual advances. After that, she bought a gun and shot at him several times, finally winging him in the leg. Honestly, she was totally in the wrong here even if her boss was a complete jerk. Shooting him is going too far.

It’s not that big of a deal, but with the woman getting completely off from the charges, that sent a poor message. I really don’t agree with the idea that it is okay to ever take a gun and shoot at someone, even if they are a big jerk.

It did lead to Maddie and David reuniting and Maddie offering to make him officially her partner.

There were fun bloopers played over the end credits too. Several with those weird birds from earlier this season.

I do think the show quality has taken a step up during this season, and that they were trying to get the show back to where it was. Unfortunately, I just believe that they had done too much damage to the brand by this point to go back. It is sad considering how much they could have done with this show moving forward.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live S1 E4

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“What We”

Michonne found Rick in the season premiere, but she did not actually find him until this episode.

What an episode.

“What We” was written by Danai Gurira, who plays Michonne, and this is one of the most emotional episodes of the entire The Walking Dead series. It was beautifully written and had so much between these two, amazing characters, inside this building that is collapsing around them.

I would compare Rick to an abused and beaten dog who can’t see any other path than taking it, retreating inside himself to hope for the best. Michonne can see that this is a shell of the man she knew all those years ago, but she held out hope that that man was still inside him somewhere.

Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira give Emmy-winning worthy performances basically on their own. Their passionate arguments to their ass-kicking of the Walkers just filled this episode with power.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live S1 E3

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“Bye”

The third episode of the new Walking Dead spinoff arrived Sunday night, but I could not watch it then because of the Academy Awards. So I watched it on Monday.

Rick and Michonne are really great together. I honestly did not see that much of the couple since they were not together as much during the time in which I was watching The Walking Dead. However, they really do have that chemistry where you believe that they could do anything.

Janus’s comment about how she was more concerned with them together because they could maybe do anything was very appropriate.

The potential escape attempt that Rick backed out of shows how far down he has fallen. This was the guy who was unafraid to take on the Governor or Negan, but he has been so beaten down that he can not see a way out of his current situation without losing everything.

Michonne has not lost that focus and I have to say that I gasped loudly when Michonne grabbed Rick and threw them both out of the helicopter during the terrible rain. What a shock. It was something that Michonne would do. Past Rick too.

I do think that next episode is going to really set the stage for what’s to come.

The X-Files S3 E20

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“Jose Chung’s From Outer Space”

“I know how crazy this is going to sound, but….”

One of the greatest BLEEPIN’ X-Files episodes of all-time was next on my list. It was “Jose Chung’s From Outer Space.”

Let’s start off with the amazing casting of Charles Nelson Reilly as author Jose Chung. CNR was so great in this role and he brought a sensational comedic chemistry with Gillian Anderson, whose facial expressions and comedic timing were as on point as I have ever seen her. The pair of them recounting this story from different POVs made for such a fantastic framing device that the humor just worked perfectly between them.

Guest appearances from Jesse Ventura and Alex Trebek as Men in Black added such a special feel to the episode, as they tormented the weirdos involved in the story. Jesse Ventura was a personal favorite performer, originally from the world of pro wrestling, and I loved his use in this show.

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson did a great job of changing the style of their characters’ performance depending on which person was providing the POV.

This episode was not just a comedic one. It started the stretch of doubt from Mulder that led him to dismiss his belief in UFOs, accepting the fact that everything is part of the government plan. This would carry on for quite a few episodes.

The use of footage of Scully’s actual autopsy of a man in an alien costume being used as a cheap alien autopsy video was a master stroke of genius as was Scully’s breathless reaction of consternation when Chung asked her about it.

This was the final episode written by Emmy winning writer Darin Morgan, whose episodes included classics “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose,” “Humbug,” and “War of the Coprophages.” Morgan would return in the X-Files 2016 revival.

There are so many clever moments in this episode that you could not hit them all. From the craziness of Rocky to the sweet potato pie, “Jose Chung’s From Outer Space” had something for everyone. It is one of my, if not THE, favorite episode of the show and I am so glad that we reached this episode in season three.

Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live S1 E2

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“Gone”

It has been a few years since I watched any Walking Dead, but I remember a cardinal rule about the show. Never get attached to characters, particularly new ones.

I broke that rule tonight as I was watching the second episode of the Rick/Michonne spin off The Ones Who Live. And did I pay for it.

Episode one focused on where Rick was and what he had been doing all this time and this week, we got the same thing with Michonne. With Michonne, she came across some people whom she saved and then bonded with. So did I as an audience member.

So of course they were doomed.

I think some of these characters at the beginning of this episode were from the end of The Walking Dead, but I have not watched that show for several years so I have no idea what was happening at first.

I did love Nat though. I was sad when he died.

Rick and Michonne are now in the middle of the belly of the beast.

Moonlighting S5 E1

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“A Womb With a View”

The final season of Moonlighting kicked off with a big musical number and one of the jokes in the song was that they were determined to make 22 episodes this season, but the critics claim that they would only get to 16. Funnily enough, they do not get to 16, they only make thirteen.

I can understand why. The first episode of season five introduced us to Baby Hayes, played by Bruce Willis and visited by angel Jerome (played by Joseph Maher). Jerome introduced Baby Hayes to his mom and dad and showed him some of the best and worst parts of the world.

Then, in a remarkably cruel twist, Jerome claimed that the “Creator” has decided that Dave and Maddie were not going to be parents and took Baby Hayes away to let him be born to a different set of parents.

I remember being upset with that decision when I first watched the episode. It was like everything we as an audience member went through in season four was rendered a waste of time with one quick twist of fate… and they did it with another musical number.

They gave Dave and Maddie a three minute scene tacked on the end of the episode to deal with their grief and their loss. It just felt so wrong. Clearly they had decided that the show could not handle a baby in the cast and they went out of their way to fix it. I wonder how many viewers they lost with this stunt?

It made no sense and was a weak way to try and get around a prior season full of narrative. No the best way to kick off a new season.

Shogun S1 E2

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“Servants of Two Masters”

I got the chance today to watch the second episode of Shogun on Hulu. Both this episode and episode 1 dropped at the same time last week, but it did not fit into my schedule to see them both. I planned on getting to Shogun episode two before the weekend finished, and I was able to get it done. I think I enjoyed this episode more than I liked episode one, and I liked episode one a lot.

John was bounced around to different areas, from the palace to a prison then back to the palace as the people involved tried to determine how they were going to best use this ‘barbarian.’

Interestingly, we get the first interactions between John and Mariko, which I believe will become something much more than expected.

But John… when they offer you a bath… take it. Twice a week is okay.

Lord Toranaga clearly is looking as a mastermind with his machinations.

Next episode of Shogun drops late night Monday on Hulu.

Twin Peaks S2 E9

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“Arbitrary Law”

So the story of “Who Killed Laura Palmer” came to a conclusion in this episode, at least for the most part. Leland Palmer was revealed to the world as ‘Bob’ and he was shown to be the killer of his own daughter.

This is one of those episodes of TV that I always remember. The final scene where Leland/Bob kills himself is completely compelling and goose bumps-inducing. Ray Wise had been amazing with his performance as Leland Palmer up to this episode and this absolutely is his magnum opus. The scene of Leland laying in the interrogation room being held by Cooper is unbelievable. Leland’s realization of what he had done to Laura was powerful and Cooper’s kind way of directing Leland to the light was caring and hopeful.

The scene preceding this with Leland in full Bob mode and being interrogated by Cooper was another amazing scene that illustrated Ray Wise’s astounding performance. The way he switched from chaotic insanity to a calm, evil aura showed what an wonderful actor Ray Wise was.

When Leland had Donna in his house, I remember being totally sold on the chance that Leland was going to claim another victim and the scene was scripted so brilliantly that, as a viewer, you could not be sure that Donna was going to survive.

Of course, then there was the scene with Donna and James, a scene that really highlighted once again what a doofus James Hurley was. I really dislike him even as I recall being a fan of James when I first watched the show back int he 1990s. I would love for James to hop on his motorcycle and just ride off and leave twin peaks forever. I know that is not what he will do, but Donna deserves someone so much better than this loser.

It was also a welcome return for FBI Agent Albert Rosenfield, played by the incomparable Miguel Ferrer. In a few sparse scenes in the show so far, Albert has taken quite a lengthy journey for his character.

Even though the show hints at Bob escaping from his fate, the conclusion did not feel tainted. It brought this mystery to a satisfying conclusion, even if it was initially intended to never have been solved.

Of course, the shot of the owl at the end of the episode was a great piece of potential foreshadowing. We all know that the ‘owls are not what they seem.’

Shōgun S1 E1

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“Anjin”

Shōgun has dropped on FX and I was able to watch the first episode on Hulu. I have not had the chance to watch episode two, which also dropped. I do thin that this is something that I will continue to watch.

Easily my favorite part of the episode was the arrival of Vasco Rodrigues, played by Néstor Carbonell, Richard himself from LOST. I loved him on LOST and Bates Motel, so it was great to see him once again.

This is a new take on the novel of 1975 and the mini series from the 1980s.

According to Wikipedia, “Shōgun follows “the collision of two ambitious men from different worlds and a mysterious female samurai; John Blackthorne, a risk-taking English sailor who ends up shipwrecked in Japan, a land whose unfamiliar culture will ultimately redefine him; Lord Toranaga, a shrewd, powerful daimyo, at odds with his own dangerous, political rivals; and Lady Mariko, a woman with invaluable skills but dishonorable family ties, who must prove her value and allegiance“

John Blackthorne is played by Cosmo Jarvis, and he does a good job filling the role made famous by Richard Chamberlain. Lord Toranago is played by another LOST alum, Hiroyuki Sanada. Lady Mariko is played by Anna Sawai.

I did not watch the mini series back in the 1980s, but I was aware of it. I was only around 11 years old and not interested in feudal Japan. Many decades later, I am more intrigued by the story.

This is beautifully shot and looked great. I am excited to keep watching the series. I should get to see episode two later this week and then I will be following along on Hulu as it releases weekly.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Lived S1 E1

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“Years”

Rick and Michonne return to the world of the Walking Dead through the new series The Ones Who Lived, which debuted on AMC this past Sunday.

Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira step back into their roles of Rick Grimes and Michonne that they played for years on AMC’s The Walking Dead. This series had gone through several stages, including the possibility of being a movie instead.

The Walking Dead was one of my favorite shows for many years, but I did lose interest in the show as time moved on (around the time the show killed of Glenn, things started going downhill for me).

Rick was believed to have been killed in the series, but it was shown that he had been taken by the CRM, aka the Civil Republic Military. This new show picked up five years after when Rick disappeared. And does this show kick off in a hurry.

Rick is shown trying to escape, and he does it by chopping off his left hand. I couldn’t believe it. Apparently, this was something that the comic version of Rick does early on (The Governor cut it off) and Andrew Lincoln had been pushing for it for years. It finally happened.

The episode was very emotional. Andrew Lincoln’s story was the main focus of the show. It looks like next week’s episode will be a Michonne centered episode so we see how she wound up at the end of this first episode.

I did have a little bit of a problem with how Rick and Michonne came face to face at the end of the first episode, so I hope next week will help make this coincidence a little easier to buy.

Otherwise, I found this to be a great opening episode with so much emotion. Seeing how Rick struggled with his situation and how he nearly took some steps to end everything was brutal.

There were plenty of shocks in the show too. I hope that this show maintains this level of height as it moved along.

Oh, and I almost forgot, Terry O’Quinn is here. I loved him from LOST as John Locke and his military man  Beale, the Major General of the Civic Republic Military. It is epic to see him once again. I’d be lying if I said that his joining this series did not help me choose to watch it. Love Terry.