Ryan’s psychological problems have compounded over the years, and this season’s episodes–with aptly named titles such as “Answers”, “Patterns”, and now “Responsibility”–have brought these problems to the forefront. Ryan’s always been searching for answers, falling into old patterns, and taking on responsibilities to the point where he’s unable to handle them all, and the constant cycle he’s been thrown into has led to tension and conflict and disappointment. However, like the quote used to open this episode states, he’ll get crushed by it all if he continues to let it build up.
Archive | July, 2014
Wilfred “Responsibility” Review (4×07)
31 Jul
The Bridge “The Acorn” Review (2×04)
31 Jul
“There are no sides.”
The Bridge deals not only with the lines separating El Paso and Juarez, but also with the lines separating one emotional state from another, one side from another, one idea from another. When it delves into the nitty gritty, it reveals the moral ambiguity inherent in the situation, the internal conflicts ever present in the minds of people attempting to play sides. It’s not a black-and-white world. There are shades of gray, and people are caught.
Share this:
Sharknado 2: The Second One Review
30 Jul
Sharknado 2: The Second One opens with a fifteen-minute sequence that is a masterpiece of directing, an emotional whirlwind that sends you slipping, sliding, and screaming through the sharp teeth of danger, through the very real fear of limbs being lost to vicious flying sharks. It is an environment of pulverization and decapitation, but all you can do is soldier on; brain matter is splattered all around you, but you must not forget that the brain you have inside your own head is more powerful than the jaws of a shark. Perseverance trumps sheer power until the shark eats you.
Share this:
Nathan For You “Dumb Starbucks” Review (2×05)
30 Jul
“It was cool that people could draw their own meaning from a business that was just there to make money.”
For the first time, we know where an episode of Nathan For You is heading; Dumb Starbucks was hyped up in the media a while back, and we’ve followed the rise and fall of this lovely little store already. However, even with our prior knowledge of the situation, Fielder still manages to surprise us at every turn, delivering a hilarious 22 minutes of television that is among the best I’ve ever seen.
Share this:
The Leftovers “Gladys” Review (1×05)
28 Jul
“Doubt is fire, and fire is going to burn you up until you are but ash.”
Fire burns Gladys up until she is but ash. We see that at the very end of the episode, in which her body is slowly consumed by flames in an ATFEC compound, left to be forgotten alongside so many other people. It doesn’t matter what group she was a part of, what beliefs she held, or what disgust or anger she inspired. It doesn’t matter who they were, the bodies organized all around her. Now, the flames devour them whole.
Share this:
Friday Night Lights “The Son” Review (4×05)
25 Jul
Here lies Henry Saracen.
Here lies Matt Saracen’s father, the father he hated, the father who wasn’t there for him, the father who’s now in a coffin, buried under the dirt that leaves Matt’s shovel. He wasn’t a monster, but he wasn’t a good father, either. The responsibilities that should’ve been his were taken on by his son at an early age, and Matt’s had to deal with situations that many teenagers have never had to face because there’s always been that one constant in their lives: a supportive family.
Share this:
Rectify “Mazel Tov” Review (2×06)
25 Jul
Curiosity is the reason why we explore, why we create, why we take risks. It’s a major reason why we have so many technological and social advances, but at the same time, curiosity is also dangerous. As much as society fosters it, the pressures that come with society oftentimes prevent it from shining through, and Rectify is an in-depth exploration of what happens when curiosity comes into contact with history’s shadow, a shadow looming large over everything you do.
Share this:
Wilfred “Patterns” Review (4×06)
24 Jul
Patterns are means by which we can find some sense of normalcy in a crazy world, and even if the pattern happens to be self-destructive or at the detriment of others or just plain dumb, we tend to want to return to what we know, to what we’ve seen before. For, any semblance of uncertainty can throw us for a loop, sending us on a spiral downward before a pattern pulls us back up again. Temporarily.
Share this:
The Bridge “Sorrowsworn” Review (2×03)
23 Jul
The Bridge is at its best when it’s embracing the unique world that’s been built up, the intriguing characters and the unsettling, strange mood hanging over every scene. When it descended into a fairly black-and-white revenge plot last season, much of the world-building was put on hold, but thankfully, “Sorrowsworn” is another step in the right direction.
Share this:
Nathan For You “Liquor Store/Exterminator/Car Wash” Review (2×04)
23 Jul
“You’ve done this before. You’re a business major. What’s the worst that could happen?”
Perhaps no other line better sums up Nathan For You than this one. Every week, it’s hilarious watching each person go along with whatever crazy plan “Very Good Grades” Fielder’s concocted, trusting his “expertise” as he slowly crafts whatever situation he wants to craft. In “Liquor Store/Exterminator/Car Wash”, we see someone who simply does whatever Nathan asks; as much as people usually believe at first, they’re later skeptical, but this man listens and implements without question.
Polar Bears Watch TV 