New Girl is built on character dynamics, on the shifting relationships between people and the everlasting bonds the loft members share. At its peaks, it can deliver some of the sharpest comedy on TV, but even at its lows, it’s still extremely entertaining to watch these people hang out and navigate their lives. “Clean Break” is a fantastic finale that brings it all back around to the history these characters share, and it’s a lovely, lovely way to close out season four.
“I want to be with the man who doesn’t have the heart to go through with it.”
Phil Miller’s (Tandy’s) characterization has been shaky the entire season, oftentimes relying on him being a full-on asshole in order to wring comedy out of various situations. Recently, however, the show’s been improving upon the writing of his character, and that’s on full display in “Screw the Moon”, the funny and satisfying season one finale. It’s a great way to end the season, and it certainly has me looking forward to season two.
“This business doesn’t have feelings.”
On paper, it seems like a perfect fit: Don Draper has the Miller account, Peggy and Joan are thriving, and everyone’s going on to do bigger and better things at McCann Erickson. However, “Lost Horizon” is an examination of what happens when reality doesn’t mesh with ideality, when the land and job and life of your dreams end up being a harsh slap across the face. It’s an episode that isn’t quite the all-time classic “Time & Life” was, but it’s still a great hour that has both an air of uncertainty and an air of inevitability to it; it’s clear that the end of the series is coming up quickly, and we know that we’re only going to be spending two more weeks with these wonderful characters.
“Do you believe the past can return?”
“More than that. It never leaves us. It is who we are.”
Horror simply is not as effective if all we’re seeing is cheap scare after cheap scare. Horror is ultimately empty if the people involved are not well-formed or compelling, and Penny Dreadful is a show that clearly understands the importance of character. It’s a show that hinges upon mood and character, and by zeroing in on what exactly makes it so intriguing, it has the ability to draw you in and never let go; that’s the mark of good horror, and even though you may not characterize it as “scary”, there’s no denying that it’s a gripping, suspenseful, and poignant series.
MAYWEATHER/PACQUIAO: This is actually a very clever opening, and although I couldn’t care less about the fight, this is a great way for SNL to acknowledge its significance ratings-wise. The physical comedy of Pharoah and Bryant “fighting” each other is absolutely hilarious. GRADE: B+
MONOLOGUE: Scarlett Johansson is awesome, but this monologue is pretty forgettable. The MILF comment is pretty funny, but the “Love to Love You Baby” bit isn’t the best. GRADE: C+
“The boy clones are our brothers.”
Thematically, Orphan Black is oftentimes on point, posing questions about family and love and care in the face of danger. At its best, the series’s exploration of the sestras can deliver some of the most poignant, entertaining, and endearing moments you’ll ever see, and it’s when we return to this shared bond between them that the show becomes truly great. However, the writers do also have a penchant for attempting to juggle too many plot points at once, and there’s certainly a very scattered feel to the beginning of this season. Although I have confidence that it’ll all come together, not quite everything is clicking right now.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is growing at an unprecedented rate, and as a result, its movies are reaching for the edges of that universe, constantly preoccupied with what’s up next in this ever-expanding story. Avengers: Age of Ultron plays like a hastily put together scrapbook of *cool Avenger moments* and “Oh, yeah, he existed in my life!” snapshots, and as it eagerly points us toward the next several movies, it threatens to collapse under its own dullness.
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