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Sons of Anarchy “A Mother’s Work” Review (6×13)

11 Dec

sons-of-anarchy-613-1So, here we are at the end of the penultimate season of Sons of Anarchy,  and I feel like I’ve watched more of this show than I have the patience for. I imagine this finale is a divisive one; I, for one, am taking the negative route. I just can’t look past the blatant audience manipulation and plot contrivances that permeate this overlong, sloppily thrown together mess.

First of all, we have characters being used as mere plot devices, none more so than Wayne Unser. One of the things that have made him so endearing is his perpetual, grounded, and sensible care for Gemma and her place in this messed-up world of hers. However, now Sutter believes that a short hugging scene makes up for all the awfulness of Unser’s decisions in this episode. What do I mean by awful decisions? So…I thought Unser was one of the more sensible characters, but then he decides to head over to Gemma and tell her Tara turned on Jax. And okay, so when Unser is like “Yeah, I know you just wanted to leave and all, but you know what, I’ll leave these keys right here and head off to get your pills and maybe jerk off a little in the kitchen”, I’m able to chalk that up to sheer idiocy.

But then, when I’m expecting the next scene to be him going batshit crazy over the fact that this insane, angry drunk just LEFT, PROBABLY DUE TO WHAT HE JUST TOLD HER, he instead saunters over to get some ice cream and thinks about the situation for a bit before deciding that ABSOLUTELY NOTHING is the right thing to do.

It’s an utter disparaging of the value of his character, and it’s one more in a line of contrivances that get us to that last scene, which, by the way, is not very good. It’s a gratuitous scene that should feel powerful, but instead just feels like a character death. I lament the fact that Juice arrives to tidy it all up; Gemma seems as if she’s finally able to own up to her crimes and turn herself in, but she eventually doesn’t have to. I get her motivations behind it all–she truly believes that killing Tara is the right thing to do, because she places everything under the guise of family–and the shitty place she’s in, but she doesn’t really face any consequences here.

Okay, okay, so everyone does feel some consequences at the end, but then again, it just seems like we’re in this perpetual state of violence and misery that’s advertised as “realistic”. Yes, everyone in this show is digging him or herself deeper into a hole, but that doesn’t mean the show can’t have fun. I’m not saying everyone should smile and dance with each other, but rather we have more episodes like, say, “Salvage”, which was a thoroughly entertaining episode that hearkened back to the old days.

Anyway, that’s not to say this episode doesn’t have its good parts. The acting, for the most part, is pretty damn good, specifically in Jax and Tara’s tense reunion at the park; Siff’s wonderful at conveying the fear, loathing, and even the love she feels toward her husband, and Hunnam does great work with the stoic expression, a man with pent-up feelings simmering, waiting for the right time to explode. In addition, as much as I dislike the way the final scene turns out, I am looking forward to Juice’s storyline; so far, the writers have done a nice job balancing his arc with the friendship and tension between Jax and Nero, and hopefully that continues next year.

All in all, it’s a mediocre and frustrating finale with a few entertaining moments, which is really emblematic of the season as a whole. I’m not terribly excited for the final season, but I do wish for some improvement next year.

GRADE: C+

SEASON GRADE: B-

OTHER THOUGHTS:

-Jax’s storyline seems a bit rushed; I do like the idea of him trying to repent for his sins, but we don’t get very clear motivations behind his quick turnaround. Instead, we get an awfully written monologue to begin the episode and some REALLY heavy-handed symbolism with the running over of the bird (did we really need that?).

-So even Nero’s been corrupted by the Mayans. It definitely illustrates the pull of the criminal world on supposedly virtuous, even-keeled people, but of course, while I can see it happening, I wish he could make better decisions; he’s one of my favorite characters, and I don’t want to see him brought down to Jax’s level.

-I’m happy Tyne Patterson’s hasn’t descended into the cartoonish villain Toric was; Pounder’s an excellent actress, and I’m looking forward to how her character handles this.

-Speaking of acting, the show brings in Kim Dickens and Peter Weller, and does pretty much nothing with them. Unacceptable.

-Jax saying his goodbyes is a fairly poignant and well done moment.

-See you all next year for the seventh and final season.

Credit to FX and Sons of Anarchy for all pictures. I own nothing.

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Treme “This City” Review (4×02)

8 Dec

treme1Treme is a show about life, and it understands that death is just as much a part of life as everything else; yet, it never falls into a pit of despair, always striking a nice balance between the entertaining and the depressing. This is on full display in this episode.

This episode is brutal to watch: classic Pelecanos. As optimistic as the show can be at times, it also illustrates the futility of certain situations. The episode deals brilliantly with the themes of death, the past, and broken dreams: Albert gives Davina a tour of his childhood on the way to his deathbed, Annie doesn’t want to accept the “death” of her life in this town, Janette has to deal with the “death” of her name, Davis goes through the “death” of his deal and has to return to his former life, Toni breaks down over the seeming futility of all her previous work (all involving murders), and Charisse is killed, forcing Antoine to deal with the heartbreak and illustrating the sad reality of the situation.

Oftentimes, we need to hold onto something to keep us going in our lives: a restaurant, our music, a friend, a vendetta. Yet, it seems as if some of our characters are realizing the necessity of moving on; for example, Albert takes Davina on a tour of his childhood, and we can tell how much he loved it. However, he know that he has to accept what’s coming, and he makes sure to warn both himself and his children.

Of course, the show also sprinkles in some truly hilarious and entertaining moments: Antoine and LaDonna’s scene in the bar is a beautiful thing to watch, as well as Janette and Davis coming up with new insults.

I can only stand back and admire this work of art that’s unfolding, and it’s almost over.

GRADE: A-

OTHER THOUGHTS:

-“I’ve been boycotting your bank for 10 years.” “I’d been wondering where that $300 had gotten to.” BOOM.

-Speaking of, the way the show’s handling Nelson and Liguori is brilliant; they start off seeming like villains, but they grow into people we can sympathize with, with stories we’re willing to invest our time in.

-I still can’t get over The Observer being Annie’s agent.

-“All sane men are afraid to die.” You’re destroying me inside, Clarke Peters.

Credit to HBO and Treme for all pictures. I own nothing.

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Homeland “Big Man in Tehran” Review (3×11)

8 Dec

bigmanSergeant Nicholas Brody is a traitor; there’s no dispute about that. However, is he someone who will try to repent for his sins? Is he someone who will put aside his differences with his country and carry out the assassination of General Akbari? For most of the episode’s running time, we’re led to believe that no, this is not the case, and the episode cleverly manipulates our notions of who Brody is.

Is it one manipulation too many? You know what? I don’t believe so. When he tells his assembled Iranian fan club that he has nowhere to go, he’s being 100% truthful. There’s no way he could ever be accepted back into American society–if he was, it’d be an egregious plot twist that would serve absolutely no purpose, save for the satisfaction of the Showtime executives–no matter what he does. In fact, we can see that he prepares himself for any outcome; he’s much more rational here than, say, Carrie, who’s still off being an awful CIA agent and ruining the plans of pretty much everyone.

Getting back to Brody, his conversation with Nazir’s widow is very telling; in fact, right then and there is his repentance. Right then and there, he acknowledges how much he’s ruined his daughter’s life (yeah, I know you feel the deepest connection to Dana, but again, no mention of the other two members?). At that table is essentially Nazir’s family, two people brought together through a mutual love, but two people who are working together to move on in their lives. Brody’s smiles in response to the outpouring of the Iranians’ love are genuine, but he recognizes the necessity of paving a new path. He takes a second at the end of the episode to revel in “the place where it all started”, but also deems it appropriate to begin anew there.

So, it’s a nice handling of Brody’s character; my one gripe with the ending is how it validates Carrie to an extent. I like how Javadi takes her aside and criticizes her attachment to Brody, as well as how Brody acknowledges the insanity of her plan, and hopefully this kind of scolding continues to take place. There’s no way Saul and the rest can forgive her for intervening and acting like a righteous asshole, even considering Brody takes out Akbari at the end. Carrie’s biggest asset and her biggest flaw is the same: doing what she believes is the right thing. She believes that running away with Brody will benefit both of them, and she believes that Brody is still the same person, the same embodiment of her idealized version of the future.

Nevertheless, the episode itself continues last week’s excellent spy/suspense scenes, delivering some tense sequences that are thoroughly entertaining and compelling. Hopefully next week’s  finale is able to deliver a satisfying conclusion to a, for the most part, redeeming season.

GRADE: A-

OTHER THOUGHTS:

-I like the more grounded portrayal of Adal and Lockhart recently; they’re acting like reasonable government officials with a job to do, not like mustache-twirling villains who want to take Saul’s job.

-I wonder if we’ll see the Brody family next week. I don’t think we really need to.

-Will Brody die next week? I’m hoping he does; the writers have given him a pretty nice arc here, and even though he’s redeemed himself somewhat, he’s still in a position where’s he got nowhere to go. Any progress he makes now is in service of both the operation and his own psyche.

-Once again, Damian Lewis does some fantastic work.

Credit to Showtime and Homeland for all pictures. I own nothing.

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Saturday Night Live “Paul Rudd/One Direction” Live Blog/Review (39×08)

7 Dec

screen_shot_2013-12-03_at_9.58.28_pmAll times central.

Sound of Music: Sorry, show, I didn’t really want to see Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig back, much less this character. Both had some good characters back in the day, but if they’re going to come back, it has to be better than the lameness here. I knew a Sound of Music parody would arise eventually, but not like this. GRADE: C-

Monologue: I also knew the Anchorman cast would show up, but this is great; the Nine Direction are a sight to see, and it’s hilarious watching all of them interact. “Why don’t you sit on Santa’s lap and ask for some balls?” says Steve Carell, and then they all burst into “Afternoon Delight”. It’s great. GRADE: B+

Al Sharpton: Well, here’s another tired ObamaCare spoof; Paul Rudd is criminally under-used here, and the main joke of this sketch is the inability of Sharpton to read. Some funny moments, but overall, it’s stale. GRADE: C+

One Direction’s Biggest Fan: So it’s a good, albeit very surface, concept here, and it’s worth it to see Paul Rudd as One Direction’s biggest fan. Many of the jokes don’t really land, though–it’s a purely sight gag sketch, I’ll give it that–and it goes on a bit too long. GRADE: B-

DIVORCE MEETING: Well, this is pretty fun. Paul Rudd and Vanessa Bayer break out dancing to Fleetwood Mac’s “I Don’t Want to Know”, and it’s just really entertaining. I liked the various interludes as well; the sketch could’ve been split up into two, honestly. GRADE: B

WEEKEND UPDATE: So the actual news jokes are pretty mediocre this week, but the guests are good. I know I’ll get tired of both of them at some point, so hopefully SNL doesn’t run them into the ground (nice quip about this very fact by Atkinson). Anyway, Killam and Bayer (it’ll be interesting to see Jacob’s interactions with Cecily) do great work, as always. “I probably shouldn’t do this after the audience went full bitch over the Snoopy joke!” “Charlie Brown, you have a pube on your forehead!” I love this guy, even if it wasn’t as crazy as last time, though. Edited to add: The show has Ron Burgundy in the studio; why not use him here? GRADE: B

MICHELANGELO: So, dick jokes; that’s all there is to this sketch, and the show knows it; Jay Pharoah pops in for a few seconds at a time to make tiny penis jokes, and this shouldn’t be funny at all. But hey, it isn’t AS bad as I was expecting. GRADE: C

WHITE CHRISTMAS: Okay, so we’re parodying “Best Man Holiday” and “Black Nativity” now; it’s a flimsy premise, but there are certainly some funny moments in there, even given the fact that everything’s too on-the-nose. Sadly, it’ll probably ignite a race discussion at some point tomorrow. GRADE: B-

SANTA’S WORKSHOP: So the cast is pretty good at playing elves, but the sketch never really gels; Kate McKinnon isn’t as funny as the concept suggests here, and while the general concept is pretty good, the jokes never land. GRADE: C

28 MILES AWAY: Although I wasn’t a fan of the sketch as a whole and it’s one-note premise, I’m glad about the attempt and the approach to it; Cecily Strong’s great, and Rudd’s Victor makes for a few laughs. It’s unique, I’ll give it that. GRADE: B-

ONE DIRECTION: So, these guys perform “Story of My Life and “Through the Dark”. These are some pretty generic pop songs here, but hey, I don’t have as much of a problem with them as a bunch of people I know. I’m not going to seek out their songs, but they aren’t terrible. GRADE: B-

BILL BRASKY: Well, I’m always a sucker for a five-minute workshop of spouting out one-liners. This hearkens back to the old days, which is something that it already has going for it, and although I would’ve liked to see the Anchorman cast utilized better (get in something, Carell. You and Rudd are my favorites.), I think this is a solid bookend to the night; it’s way too long, though. GRADE: B+

Now we’ll close out with whatever I could catch from the Brasky sketch:

“I actively worship the Devil.”

“Last night I made sweet, passionate love to a box of Kleenex.”

“Brasky’s ejaculate can cure leprosy.” “I wish I had leprosy.”

“Brasky gave AIDS back to the monkeys.”

“I like to sneak into hospitals and kiss coma patients.”

“Brasky once punched a bald eagle because it wasn’t patriotic enough.”

OVERALL GRADE: B-

NEXT WEEK: John Goodman, who is amazing. I was excited to see him in Inside Llewyn Davis, but alas, my theater didn’t carry the movie yet. That means I’ll have American Hustle, Inside Llewyn Davis, Anchorman, (hopefully) Her, and The Wolf of Wall Street to watch over the course of a week. It’s looking to be a good upcoming weeks for movies. Alright, that’s it for the movie talk for me; sorry.

Credit to NBC and Saturday Night Live for all pictures. I own nothing.

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Nikita “Set-Up” Live Blog/Review (4×03)

6 Dec

Set-UpAll times central.

8:03-Maggie Q. doing pull ups=nice. She must’ve learned from Stephen Amell.

8:07-So here’s an interesting set-up (ha) for the episode: we’ve got someone who others thought they knew in Birkhoff, someone who thinks he knows who he is in Sam, and someone who’s become who people thought she was (but at the same time completely defied expectations) in Alex. Birkhoff’s placing the team in a metaphorical prison while they’re trying to rescue Alex from a literal prison. Plus, you’ve got doubles everywhere; it’s a nice theme of duality we have going here, anchored by the titular character and her struggles.

8:12-I really like Ryan’s conspiracy board; it showcases his character’s devotion to the task and integrates him into the storyline. He isn’t just an authority figure with a meandering storyline anymore.

8:14-Sorry, Nikita, I would’ve thought you learned by now: you can’t exactly trust anyone around you; in fact, can you even trust yourself?

8:17-“I keep self-sabotaging because I’ve never had happiness in my life.” The problem is that when she self-sabotages, she inevitably hurts those around her; I want happiness for her, but she can’t afford to continue on like this as long as she’s in the spy game.

8:20-So it’s a father storyline, hmm? I do like, though, that it isn’t just a simple “he’s compromised” arc or a repetition of Alex’s season 3 story; we’ll see where it goes from here.

8:21-“You changed your name from Lionel to Seymour?”

8:23-So damn excited for the Arrow midseason finale.

8:27-Oh, heavy metal music torture. “Turn up the music on your way out.”

8:30-Alex’s definitely the one who’s grown the most throughout the series. When she says she’s a survivor, it’s 100% true, and Lyndsy Fonseca does a great work conveying both the anger and the determination of her character. Alex hasn’t been consistently compelling, but we’ve come a long way from that young woman in Division.

8:37-Amanda can’t really think everything’s fine here, right? She’s too smart for that.

8:40-“Kind of like an impulse.” “Sorta like when Nikita left you.” Nope, not really. Nikita’s decision was premeditated under the guise of an impulse.

8:48-Alex with some badass moves here.

8:49-Wow, that’s stupid. So Teller just blurts out something that will give away his son; reasonable, eh?

8:55-Please don’t be teasing a romance here; two very similar people forging a grudging and mutual respect is much more interesting than those two starting a romance. Sam/Owen’s a fun presence, but right now, I’m not all that interested in his storyline and I wish they’d get going on that; it’s obvious he’ll be a factor in the remaining episodes, so I’d like to see some more sooner than later.

8:56-We’re starting to see Amanda, slowly but surely, losing a grip on her plan (I want some more clarity on this, by the way, especially since we’re running out of time); we knew it was going to happen sometime, given she’s the kind of person who, while incredibly cunning and cold, is too self-centered for her own good. Yet another Nikita-Amanda parallel.

8:58-“You never cease to amaze me, nerd.” This is a well-acted and very sweet scene.

9:00-“I’m my own boss now.” Well, one thing’s for sure: Melinda Clarke does evil like no other.

GRADE: B+

FINAL THOUGHTS: Well, we’re barreling toward the end of the series, and man, will I miss it. I wasn’t happy right off the bat with Birkhoff’s reveal last week, but I think Aaron Stanford and Judd Nelson do a fantastic job with the emotion, the tension, and the ultimate heartbreak, and I’m happy with the way it’s turned out; it’s a personal story in a final season of personal stories. As for Nikita, we’re starting to get less of her “whiny” side and more of her determination, and it’s great to see everyone else breaking out from their current states; Lyndsy Fonseca is fantastic in this episode, and her dynamic with Crawford–someone who can hold her own with Alex–is compelling. Crawford knows there’s something more to Alexandra Udinov, but she can’t even begin to imagine the depth of her character; it’s really emblematic of the Nikita world’s view of the characters we’ve come to know over these four seasons.

Three more.

Credit to The CW and Nikita for all pictures. I own nothing.

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Brian Griffin will return to “Family Guy”; Seth MacFarlane is laughing at all of us.

6 Dec

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Following the death of beloved dog Brian Griffin of the not-so-beloved-anymore Family Guy, the producers have decided to bring him back from the dead; an upcoming December 15th episode includes him in the cast description.

In fact, immediately following his death, thousands of signatures were collected on a petition to bring him back, because democracy. Why petition to improve our nation when we can petition to bring a talking cartoon dog back to shed light on our sorry lives, am I right? Anyway, Seth MacFarlane will reprise his role as Brian, unless, of course, the show intends to inject an even greater amount of realism by transforming him into a barking dog. In that case, Seth MacFarlane will definitely reprise his role as Brian.

So, because of our baffling love of Family Guy over American Dad, and the voices of thousands of people crying out in anguish over the loss of Brian, we have raised up, toppling the oppressive regime of “We Killed Your Dog”, bringing him back from the dead so that he can make us laugh for another 10 years. We have proved that petitioning is a wondrous action, a right given to us by our forefathers, an action that can influence change.

Except for the part where, you know, this was obviously just a publicity stunt and the producers intended to bring him back the whole time.

Credit to FOX and Family Guy for all pictures. I own nothing.

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American Horror Story: Coven “The Sacred Taking” Review (3×08)

4 Dec

americanhorrorstorycoven08When you die, you usually, you know, stay dead. I get that this is American Horror Story, but the lack of a sense of danger is really detrimental to the show right now; it’s an hour every week of “anything goes”, but it’s hard to sit back and enjoy the ride when we’re skeptical of that mantra. Every “death” now feels like a ploy to mess with the audience, not something that will shake up the storyline; just bring ’em back!

That’s a shame, considering the first half of this episode is pretty strong, focusing on an intriguing Cordelia vs. Fiona plot that feels like it’s leading up to something…until it’s not. I mean, a Kathy Bates head in a box isn’t all that shocking anymore, Murphy; I just hope the next episode involves everyone dangling cheeseburgers just out of reach of her chomping mouth.

Anyway, the episode feels like it’s stitched together like Zoe and Madison did to Kyle. The abstractness of the plot hearkens back to Season 1 days, but even those episodes had a bit more coherence than recent ones have. Coven is intentionally trying to make this a crazy, dark comedy, whereas Asylum let the comedy arise organically from the focused plot. Coven is falling into the “Great Cast Trap”, not allowing each character to shine due to its persistent audience pandering and misguided notions of race and feminism.

Frankly, I’m bored, which is something I never thought I’d say about this show. A great embodiment of why can be seen through the character of Queenie. There’s potential there in the team-up with LaLaurie, but they erased a lot of that with LaLaurie’s imprisonment. I understand her being conflicted, but it just feels like the first scene–atrociously acted by all three actresses–and the burger one are thrown in there as obligatory “Oh, these are the two sides she’s on!” reminders. Queenie’s all over the place right now and the writers have no idea what to do with her. It’s the same with Kyle; I love Evan Peters’ performance, but why do we need to see this many episodes of him learning how to function?

Also, for the biggie: why do we need to spend time with characters we don’t care about? The only character I really sympathize with is Misty; yes, the point may not be “You should sympathize with everyone”, but I want to at least be invested in their stories. When Jessica Lange gives her big monologue, it’s brilliantly delivered, but at the same time, it’s emotionally detached from the audience. She then goes into an unnecessary dream sequence involving Spalding; there has to be a better way of conveying the fact that Fiona’s a person that may actually desire a community about her.

Everything just isn’t gelling like it was last year, and while the show’s entertaining as hell, it doesn’t quite draw me in.

GRADE: C+

OTHER THOUGHTS:

-Kyle’s reaction to the headphones is perfect.

-Frances Conroy is awesome here, with “I was told it started with a tingle in the cooch.” and “Oh little bird, I’ve ordered in bulk from North Korea for years!”

-“Why can’t it be me?” “Because you have no style and your pits smell like fishsticks.”

-“Those poor Salem witches – traveling all the way down here in covered wagons, without a proper charcuterie platter, or a bidet! Absolute savagery.”

-“Oh boo-hoo. Some girls were mean to you and now you’re mad. I had my throat slit and you don’t see me bitching about it.”

-An enema. I should’ve known. If you’re going to be on a Ryan Murphy show, it’s a good idea not to have a mother.

-The Justified, Americans, and Archer promos are fabulous. Oh God, that Americans promo. It’s amazing. Can it be January/February already?

Credit to FX and American Horror Story for all pictures. I own nothing.

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Arrow “The Scientist” Review (2×08)

4 Dec

xdefeating-the-acolyte.jpg.pagespeed.ic.J_m555ivznArrow wasn’t a show about superheroes back in season 1, and it’s a credit to the writers that even with the introduction of “superpowers” here, the tone still feels grounded and decidedly Arrow. In fact, the show gives us a fairly reasonable explanation for the shift in content: the serum. You know what? I’ll buy it; the challenge will be maintaining that sense of realism throughout the rest of the show’s run and not falling into the Superhero Cliche Pit.

Obviously, the main focus will be on The Flash. Barry Allen is introduced in this episode, and while I wasn’t too happy about the casting at first, I think we get a nice sense of who he is and what his motivations are; the exposition is a bit heavy, as expected, but Gustin is charming enough and fits in smoothly with the rest of the cast (he serves as a nice foil to Amell’s Oliver Queen). The most obvious pairing is what we get: Felicity and Barry make for a pretty nice couple–this show really is fantastic for making Roy-Thea and Felicity-Barry endearing–here, and I’m looking forward to how the show handles the relationships from now on. Also, kudos to the writers for all the little Flash jokes.

Usually when we’re introduced to a character, it’s in a place-setting episode, and “The Scientist” is no different. The show’s taking a step back before whatever fireworks they have in store for us next week, and while it does make for a less exciting episode, it’s still entertaining. Take, for example, Malcolm Merlyn; we would expect that after last week’s cliffhanger, he’d take a more prominent role here, but that’s not the case. The sidelining feels a bit awkward, but I do like how his character is being used to draw out the fight in Moira Queen; she’s always been an independent woman locked in both a literal and a metaphorical jail, and it’s nice to see her fight back. She’ll do what she needs to do to keep her family safe, and the League of Assassins reveal is a nice moment; it lends some more complexity to Malcolm’s storyline, aside from the “Evil Bad Dude” aspect of his character.

Finally, that brings us to the island; although I would like to see some more flashbacks, this week’s do a great job of showcasing Manu Bennett’s acting and drawing deeper emotional connections between him and Shado. In addition, it ties in very smoothly to the present day action; it all leads into a cliffhanger ending that is just begging to be resolved.

GRADE: B

OTHER THOUGHTS:

-Best Flash joke: the nod to the lightning origin story.

-I would like to see more complexity to Brother Blood’s storyline: for example, more of his motivations are needed.

-There’s some fantastic action in this episode; the show’s really improved the camera work in this season.

-No Laurel. This is good.

-“Maybe he feels like he penetrates just fine.”

-“I’m not too good on my feet.”

-I don’t think Slade is dead. The sedative probably is the reason for his transformation.

-Hey, show, give Summer Glau some more to do, please.

-Oliver shooting Roy in the knee was really funny and surprising. I’m not sure it’s in character, but whatever.

-Emily Bett Rickards is looking really good, as always.

Credit to The CW and Arrow for all pictures. I own nothing.

 

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Brooklyn Nine-Nine “Christmas” Review (1×11)

3 Dec

brooklyn-nine-nine-christmas-andy-samberg-andre-braugher-foxWell, it’s the last Brooklyn Nine-Nine until January, and it’s naturally a Christmas episode; smartly, though, it forgoes the festivities in favor of a narrower character focus. I think the idea of younger Holt=present Jake is really interesting, and it helps explain why Holt feels the need to mentor him and why it’s working. It’s not just Holt teaching Peralta how to be a better cop, but also how to avoid the mistakes he made during his own youth. This is why the character work worked for me here; although we see some of Peralta’s more annoying tendencies, there’s a subtle aspect to their relationship that keeps it grounded. Jake is impulsive, but he’s persistent and he genuinely cares about Holt/wants his respect, and it’s nice to see Holt’s lessons taking effect.

This relationship is like a contrast to Amy-Holt; both Amy and Peralta want to please him, but Amy tweaks her personality a bit around the captain, and Peralta doesn’t change much. In fact, Jake salivates at the thought of what to do with his power over Holt, while Amy would probably immediately acquiesce to all his demands and give up the power. There are some great dynamics going on here, and they haven’t gotten stale yet because the show is able to inject growth and humor throughout.

Speaking of humor, although the episode isn’t quite the ensemble showcase last week’s was, it still provides some hilarious moments: Terry’s psych evaluation (“Kittens. Cute. Calm. False sense of security. Gun, die.”), the “tush vs. touché” discussion, and Holt popping and locking, to name a few. The case itself is fairly entertaining, but although I do think Boyle getting shot in the butt is funny, it feels a bit easy for an ending. Still, that final scene is nice and sappy; the show’s earned sap, and it’s a great way to send these characters out for now.

GRADE: B+

OTHER THOUGHTS:

-“…I smell like Sandalwood.” “THAT’S what that is!”

-The Rosa subplot is sweet.

-“A Safe House-watching safe house is a safe, safe house.”

-“The next time someone threatens to kill me, I’ll come straight to you.” “Thank you, sir, I can’t wait.”

-More flashbacks, please.

-“That’s right. Boom. Just kicked Santa in the testicles.”

-“It’s me, Charles, from work!”

-“Psychologists are just people who weren’t smart enough to be psychics.”

Credit to FOX and Brooklyn Nine-Nine for all pictures. I own nothing.

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Homeland “Good Night” Review (3×10)

2 Dec

Homeland-Good-NightI like how simple this episode is. It isn’t trying to do too much; it’s just a straightforward spy/suspense story, and while it obviously isn’t perfect, it strikes a nice balance between the character moments and the (still implausible but entertaining) operation. Homeland’s strength is taking us through these specific set pieces, a la The Weekend and Q&A.

Anyway–and I’ve said this ever since the inception of the storyline–this Brody arc is really implausible. So what, he’s just going to traipse into Iran with no plan and just kill the head of the Revolutionary Guard? Sounds fun. When Brody’s car essentially gets sliced in half, we don’t expect him to survive, but we do because we know he won’t die here (if that makes a lick of sense). Also–and this will be my final gripe about this–I find his quick turnaround into the badass Marine again a bit contrived.

Of course, the show’s yet again found some way to make this entertaining. The whole shootout sequence is very well shot for a nighttime scene, and when the episode strays away from the operation, there isn’t any forced political intrigue by way of an evil Senator Lockhart; although there’s a tension simmering between everyone, their actions here seem realistic and the interactions don’t seem all that meandering.

As for Carrie, I do think the Brody-Carrie stuff does have some good aspects, save for of course that awful “We have to abort!” line. I don’t think it descends into soap opera shenanigans TOO much here because 1) they play equally off of Carrie seeing the Marine in Brody as seeing the Lover in Brody and 2) Carrie realizes the “I have faith” line is bullshit and just a fantasy. Fantasy is Carrie’s greatest flaw, and it’s nice to see her recognize it here.

Carrie still does mind-numbingly stupid things, but this episode also helps reflect a bit of why she’s good, what with her manipulation of Fara. It’s not enough in the grand scheme of things, yes, but she and Patinkin are just able to sell her arc in this episode.

All in all, it’s another solid outing that has me looking forward to the final two episodes.

GRADE: B+

OTHER THOUGHTS:

-The pregnancy stuff is as bad as I thought it would be; I find it hilarious that people have to keep reminding her of it: “So this operation is going to involve this and this and OH YOU HAVE A BABY INSIDE OF YOU!”

-I half expected Carrie to blow up in the conference room and start telling everyone the baby actually is Brody’s. “Look at this ultrasound, world!” she says, waving it in front of Saul’s face and pointing out the red hair she scribbled on it with marker.

-For some reason, every time they cut to Carrie or Saul chewing the gum, I got really annoyed.

-After the other guy went “I don’t have kids, you dumbass!”, I fully expected Brody to go “Yeah, same here.”

Credit to Showtime and Homeland for all pictures. I own nothing.

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