When David Simon announced his movie follow-up to The Wire and Treme, I was a bit skeptical about it until he also brought on David Fincher. It has been scientifically proven, after all, that multiple Davids working on a project together guarantees that more than one David will be working on the project. And so, this film came together quicker than you can say “Why is Meryl Streep nominated again?”, and it was released to quite a bit of buzz at the Sundance Film Festival.
“All this is on you.”
Justified has been exploring the idea of loyalty recently by delving into various relationships between characters, relationships that may not be quite as stable or strong as they seem on the surface. After all, last week’s episode ended with Ava–someone Boyd thought he could trust–shooting her former lover and escaping with $10 million, and it was an act that immediately brought the idea of betrayal into the mix (if it wasn’t there already). In “Fugitive Number One”, we see these thematic ideas at the forefront, and they serve to ramp up the tension as we move into the final two episodes of the series.
Going into this roast, I knew that there was no way it would top 2013’s Franco one. That roast was one of my favorites because they brought up a bunch of his friends, and there was a genuine, good-hearted undercurrent throughout the whole night. The Bieber Roast is weaker than the Franco Roast, but there’s still quite a bit to like (and dislike) about it. Here are some of my assorted thoughts:
Don’t worry, the truck is going to drive off a bridge soon.
It seems like the writers anticipated the outpouring of Sammi hate following last week’s episode, and it shows throughout “Drugs Actually”. The show has quite a bit of fun with her character, bringing up possible Sammi death scenarios and showing us a nipple shocking and contrasting Mickey’s nonchalance with Debbie’s horrified reactions. It’s ultimately proved to be a fake-out after Sammi’s heard screaming from the truck, but it sure is satisfying to watch; the same can be said about the rest of the episode, which is an engaging and entertaining set-up for what I’m hoping will be an excellent season finale.
THE ROCK OBAMA: This is a silly sketch that rests on the physical comedy by Dwayne Johnson and Leslie Jones, and it’s without a doubt fun to watch. Also, people like Ted Cotton, John Boehner, and Ted Cruz getting various body parts torn off is always going to be great. GRADE: B+
MONOLOGUE: I’m usually not a fan of singing monologues, and I’m pretty ambivalent about this one. It’s an alright song, I guess, and it’s a little bit better than the lazy “taking questions from the audience” monologue. I have to say, though, the Stephen Hawking voice bit is pretty funny, and you can tell The Rock is having a lot of fun. “Another Smurf movie?” “No.” GRADE: B
“That’s what evil people tell themselves when they do evil things.”
In a season that has featured a dead body being shoved into a suitcase, an extended tooth-pulling sequence, and a gruesome necklacing, it’s saying something when you come across a scene that’s more difficult to watch than all of those. “Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?” features an absolutely devastating series of scenes that touch upon many of the themes of the show, and the episode again solidifies The Americans as an engrossing, tough-to-watch hour each week.
“The man who created God? I never thought we would be friends.”
Like so many episodes before this, “Skip” deals with the ideas of humanity and compassion in the face of loss. It’s an entertaining and snappy piece of television that also finds a deeper and more poignant meaning behind its storylines, and while it’s far from a perfect episode, it’s certainly a step up from last week’s middling outing. “Skip” is able to find a better balance between the case of the week and the overarching Finch-Samaritan struggle, and as a result, both plots have excellent moments throughout the episode.
“I gave you what you always wanted, Raylan: Boyd Crowder bleeding out at your feet.”
This is getting good. As we move into the homestretch of Justified‘s brilliant final season, it’s becoming clear that love and alliances are coming secondary to survival instinct. Relationships are coming undone, trust is being broken, and people are splitting off in order to accomplish whatever goals they want to accomplish. No more do we see the idea of running off into the sunset with the person you love; now, it’s all about the nitty gritty, all about who’s left standing when the smoke clears.
“It’s a shame when someone you love gets taken away.”
Dammit, Sammi, do you not see those smiling faces above? Are you purposefully trying to anger the entire Shameless fan base? I’m attempting to open this review in a semi-coherent manner, but all I can come up with at the moment is: UGHHHHHHHHHH. It’s really devastating that this comes right when we begin to see Ian come to terms with his illness, and it’s definitely a gut punch coming after the wonderful moment Ian and Mickey share in the dugout together. Last week’s Sammi storyline was mostly played for laughs, but at the end of “South Side Rules”, we see the ramifications front and center; we see everything come apart at once, and it’s looking like the season is not going down a happy path.
Note: Full spoilers for the season follow.
“We’re the strong ones, and you can’t break us.”
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is an infectiously energetic, quick-witted, and constantly entertaining show that both reflects the 30 Rock roots of its creators and crafts its own world with aplomb. It’s an easily binge-able 13 episodes, and although its jokes come rapid fire and make you laugh, there’s also a beating heart underneath it all: the story of Kimmy Schmidt, one of four “Mole Women” who is rescued from an Indiana doomsday cult’s underground bunker.
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