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Shameless “Crazy Love” Review (5×06)

Shameless features quite possibly the best ensemble cast on television, and “Crazy Love” displays that cast at the height of its power. This is one of those episodes in which everyone shines, in which everyone breaks your heart in one way or another, and it’s the kind of episode that solidifies this show’s deserved placement in the upper echelon of television. It’s an hour about love, but it also delves into the constant struggles surrounding that love, and it’s a tense, moving, and heartbreaking piece of television that moves us right along into what should be an excellent second half of season five.

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Categories Shameless, Television

Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special Live Blog and Review

15 Feb

All times central. Instead of going by solely sketches, I’ll go by times tonight as well.

6:59-Oh look, Kanye already being an asshole. GRADE: D-

7:02-Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon having a great time is always fantastic to watch, although the opening is certainly very awkward (especially considering they’re trying to cram in as many references as possible). So fun, though. “Dick in a Box!”

7:05-It’ll take about 5 hours to get through these credits, guys.

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Categories Saturday Night Live, Television

The Americans “Open House” Review (3×03)

11 Feb

This show is, at its most basic form, a show about a conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States. From there, we branch out into personal and emotional conflicts, into conflicts between parents and kids and conflicts between coworkers and conflicts within your own mind. Underneath all that conflict, though, lies the heart of the show: the mutual trust and respect that is needed in order for a relationship to function, in order for any kind of team to function. It’s exactly what we see tonight between Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, and how the show goes about conveying it is absolutely fantastic.

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Categories Americans, The, Television

Person of Interest “Guilty” Review (4×14)

11 Feb

“It’s just you and me again, Mr. Reese.”

“Guilty” is a very fun throwback to season one of Person of Interest, and it’s an episode complete with everything we knew and loved about the show at that time: Reese and Finch teaming up, an entertaining guest star, and some nifty tie-ins to the overarching story. Getting an episode like that here serves as a bit of a break from the Samaritan storyline, but it certainly doesn’t skimp on the character development; sure, the story isn’t nearly as compelling as what we’ve had recently and there are some flaws in execution, but it’s still an entertaining episode throughout.

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Categories Person of Interest, Television

Justified “The Trash and the Snake” Review (6×04)

10 Feb

“I’m telling you not to get your ass bit.”

I’m not sure there’s a show on air right now that is better at building up tension just by sitting characters down in a room and letting them talk. “The Trash and the Snake” is full of those moments, whether it be the marvelous Raylan-Ty-Avery-Tim-Loretta scene or the Katherine-Ava exchanges or even the Boyd-Ava talks. This final season of Justified is allowing the tension to simmer, to progressively build up until what will presumably be its explosive conclusion, and it’s on a roll right now as a result. At the same time, the show also doesn’t lose its comedic sensibilities, and it creates a delicate balancing act that is rarely matched on television.

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Categories Justified, Television

Better Call Saul “Uno” Review (1×01)

9 Feb

“There are no sides. Jimmy, wouldn’t you rather build your own identity rather than ride on someone else’s coattails?”

It’s not a very subtle scene, but it perfectly encapsulates what this show is about. Whereas Breaking Bad detailed the rise and fall of a good man turned criminal, this show seems to be about attempting to rise above the sleaze, about how to be your own person and make a name for yourself. That, of course, places us in interesting territory because this is a prequel to Breaking Bad; we know that Jimmy McGill will end up as the sleazy Saul Goodman, and while that certainly does take a bit of suspense out of the equation, that doesn’t mean the show can’t play with expectations a bit.

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Categories Better Call Saul, Television

Shameless “Rite of Passage” Review (5×05)

8 Feb

“Rite of Passage” is all about transitions, about being caught between an old life and a new life, about becoming stuck in a limbo of sorts as you attempt to figure out where you want to go next in life. After all, that’s what a rite of passage is: an event that marks a person’s transition from one status to another. We see the past and the present clash with each other throughout this episode, and in fine Shameless form, it’s yet another entertaining episode punctuated by poignant and genuine moments.

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Categories Shameless, Television

Banshee “Tribal” Review (3×05)

6 Feb

“Everything you touch turns to blood.”

There’s no question that Banshee consistently features the best action sequences on television, but what makes it a complete show is its ability to surround that action with compelling character and theme explorations. Take the entirety of “Tribal”, for example, which revolves around an attack carried out by Chayton Littlestone and the Redbones on the Banshee Sheriff Department; yes, we get insanely awesome shootouts, but the episode also finds room to delve into certain relationships, into new characters, and into the idea of change.

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Categories Banshee, Television

Person of Interest “M.I.A.” Review (4×13)

4 Feb

“I couldn’t stand to lose someone today.”

Person of Interest deals with loss in a fascinating way by intertwining the human side with the technology side, the direct emotional fallout with the larger societal implications. It doesn’t forget about any character, and it takes care to allow loss to reverberate throughout the rest of the show’s universe. In “M.I.A.”, we get an incredibly intriguing look at the reactions from Root, Finch, Reese, and Fusco about the possibility of Shaw’s death, about the possibility that their friend truly sacrificed herself for them back at that elevator. The episode shines when it zeroes in on the characters’ emotions and thoughts and feelings, but at the same time, the episode stumbles a bit when it focuses on the larger picture.

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Categories Person of Interest, Television

Justified “Noblesse Oblige” Review (6×03)

3 Feb

Early in “Nobelesse Oblige”, Ty Walker tells Boyd that he’s “just a weather vane”, that he “doesn’t make the wind blow”. Later on in the episode, Sam Elliott’s Avery Markham delivers a chilling monologue to Ava about being more than a token that “can be threatened or hurt to just to keep a man in line”. The underlying point comes across in both cases: certain people are pulling the strings in certain places, and if you want to survive in this fading county, you must take the initiative and fight for what you want. You can’t let the power struggle dictate where you end up; you must participate.

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Categories Justified, Television

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Polar Bears Watch TV

Shameless “Crazy Love” Review (5×06)

Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special Live Blog and Review

The Americans “Open House” Review (3×03)

Person of Interest “Guilty” Review (4×14)

Justified “The Trash and the Snake” Review (6×04)

Better Call Saul “Uno” Review (1×01)

Shameless “Rite of Passage” Review (5×05)

Banshee “Tribal” Review (3×05)

Person of Interest “M.I.A.” Review (4×13)

Justified “Noblesse Oblige” Review (6×03)

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