“I don’t care about the big questions anymore, Mulder.”
I’m of two minds about this episode: I feel like each storyline is compelling on its own, but there are some clear problems that arise when they occupy the same hour. I understand the time constraints with a 6-episode miniseries, but fully committing to the emotional William story or to the monster of the week would serve “Home Again” well. “Founder’s Mutation” pulled off a dual role nicely, but this week’s episode is clunky at times.
“If there’s nothing more to life than what we already know, there’s nothing but worries, self doubt, regret, loneliness.”
“Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster” takes the paranormal and turns its lens back on us, back on the “monsters within us” as it explores what it really means to live life. It deals in the idea of absurdity, and Darin Morgan uses his setup to deftly comment on both the characters in the series and the series as a whole. Over a decade after the series finale, how do we make sense of this revival? How do we make sense of the ludicrous happenings in the world? How do we make sense of this X-Files universe?
“I think that one day, you’ll probably have your own ideas about it.”
“Founder’s Mutation” is undoubtedly a step up from the premiere, effectively utilizing the “monster of the week” setup that it perfected way back in the ’90s. Old X-Files scribe James Wong imbues the episode with a continuous undercurrent of tension, kicking off the episode with a creepy opening and including quite a bit of unsettling imagery throughout the remainder of the hour. Even if the episode has its problems, it at least has some momentum going for it; also, it has a story structure that doesn’t attempt to do too much, that doesn’t try to be anything other than the entertaining sci-fi show it is.
“The truth is out there/you want to believe/trust no one/insert catchphrase here/etc. etc. etc.”
Pure nostalgia alone makes “My Struggle” worth watching. Fox Mulder and Dana Scully are two characters who never fail to make me smile, and seeing the original opening credits play out on a large screen is undoubtedly an exciting experience. This is a show that had its ups and downs–and it certainly explored both ends of that quality spectrum in depth–but in the end, it was a classic, setting the foundation for much of the television landscape afterward. And here, thirteen and a half years later, it’s making a return to TV in this age of reboots, remakes, and sequels.
Billions is not the next prestige drama. That’s something that needs to be recognized before diving into Showtime’s new series, because going in expecting something Mad Men-level will significantly lower the enjoyment you can obtain from watching these characters. The show operates in a heightened state of sorts, utilizing soap-operatic qualities to its advantage as it pits rich people against each other with fervor. It’s far from the most complex and nuanced series out there, but it knows how to entertain.
First of all, RIP to David Bowie. I’ll probably be listening to “Modern Love”, “Heroes”, “Space Oddity”, “Life On Mars?”, etc. again tonight. What a musician.
Second of all, let’s head on down the winners’ list for the 73rd Golden Globes.
Best Motion Picture: I’m really, really surprised that The Revenant won. I think it’s a great movie, but I thought that Spotlight pretty much had it locked down; nevertheless, this makes the race for the Oscar slightly more interesting. As for The Martian, I’m pretty ambivalent about the film overall (I’d have gone with The Big Short myself), but I do have to say this: this is nowhere near as baffling a “comedy” nomination/win as some others have been in the past. I get that the premise isn’t exactly the most comedic in the world, but people seem to be forgetting that the movie is pretty damn funny. I feel like it runs on jokes, no matter how bleak its premise may be. I am 100% fine with this in the comedy category.
Haven’t seen: The Jinx, Inside Amy Schumer, Broad City, Jane the Virgin, Crazy Ex Girlfriend, South Park, Casual, Catastrophe, Bob’s Burgers, Halt and Catch Fire, The Flash, Looking, Steven Universe, Doctor Who, Ash vs. Evil Dead, Outlander, Key and Peele, Manhattan, The 100, Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, Making a Murderer, F Is For Family, American Crime, Fresh Off the Boat, Getting On, Wolf Hall, Agent Carter, Black Sails, Agents of SHIELD, Inside Amy Schumer, Empire, House of Cards
Honorable Mentions: The Knick’s “This Is All We Are”, Rick and Morty’s “Total Rickall” (I felt terrible leaving this off), Better Call Saul’s “Five-O”, Parenthood’s “May God Bless and Keep You Always”, Louie’s “Untitled”, Master of None’s “Mornings”, Togetherness’s “Kick the Can”, Marvel’s Jessica Jones’s “AKA WWJD?”, WHAS: First Day of Camp’s “Activities”, Sense8’s “What Is Human?”, Daredevil’s “Nelson v. Murdock”, Veep’s “Election Night”, Orphan Black’s “Certain Agony of the Battlefield”, Parks and Recreation’s “Leslie and Ron”, Shameless’s “Crazy Love”, Mr. Robot’s “eps1.7_wh1ter0se.m4v”, Bloodline’s “Part 11”, Review’s “Happiness/Pillow Fight/Imaginary Friend”, Penny Dreadful’s “Nightcomers”, UKS’s “Kimmy’s In a Love Triangle”, Please Like Me’s “Pancakes With Faces”, Transparent’s “Man On the Land”
Note: As always, I limit myself to one performance per show, plus shoutouts for other cast members. Even with this limitation, you can see that I cheated a bit with the top three on the list (if you watched those shows, I’m sure you understand). In the end, this top 15 is most likely a top 30 because we are blessed with so much good acting these days. The fact that Tatiana Maslany is in “honorable mentions” should tell you all you need to know.
Haven’t Seen Yet: Jane the Virgin, The Flash, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Empire, American Crime, Fresh Off the Boat, Catastrophe, Casual, Getting On, Looking, Halt and Catch Fire, Wolf Hall, Agent Carter
Honorable Mentions: Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), Ellie Kemper/Titus Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Eva Green (Penny Dreadful), Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep), Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation), Will Forte (The Last Man On Earth), Colin Farrell (True Detective), Andre Braugher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Tiffany Doggett (Orange Is the New Black), Cameron Monaghan (Shameless), Aziz Ansari (Master of None), Louis CK (Louie), Nathan Fielder (Nathan For You), Clive Owen (The Knick), Maura Tierney (The Affair), Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife), Tony Hale (Veep), Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp cast, Wagner Moura (Narcos), Justin Roiland (Rick and Morty), Will Arnett/Olivia Wilde (Bojack Horseman)
I’m back! This will most likely be the only SNL I live blog this year, but seeing as I finally have time to do one, I might as well.
GOP DEBATE COLD OPEN: This is a solid political cold open, most notably because it allows everyone to pull out their GOP candidate impressions and have fun with it. Pharoah’s Carson impression is awesome–those sleep glasses are great–and the interplay between Bush and Trump here is very enjoyable. GRADE: B+
MONOLOGUE: It’s Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, so is it possible to have a bad monologue? Probably not, although this one is meh by their standards. Still, these two just have the best chemistry ever, and although I normally don’t enjoy monologue songs, the two singing it make it better. GRADE: B-
Polar Bears Watch TV 