“How many lives have you lived?” “None, really.”
We’re at the end of season 2 of Banshee, and what a ride it has been. After a few slower-moving episodes to open the season, “The Truth About Unicorns” marked an essential turning point in the story, one which led to some of the most thrilling television I’ve seen; I’m bummed that we won’t get anymore episodes until next year.
When Vince Gilligan shows up as a cheesy, western VCR host, you know you’re in for something hilarious. Watching the four try to figure out the game is already funny, but when Annie and Abed really get into it, spinning and shooting and moving their way through the ridiculousness, you have comedy gold.
Elizabeth Jennings is such an interesting character.
First off, Keri Russell is brilliant, and second off, there’s a compelling nuance to her character that endears her to me; she’s the crowbar wielding badass at one moment and a protective mother at another, but what happens when her two worlds clash?
Well, Justified is back, ladies and gentlemen.
After a bit of a stumble, we’re back in fine form tonight; this is mostly due to the fact that everyone’s back in Harlan now, allowing for sharper interactions and increased tension. One of the major problems of season 5 so far has been a feeling of detachment, a lack of forward momentum that seems to be hurting the show a bit.
“Once, there was only darkness, so if you ask me, the light’s winning.”
With that, season 1 of the absolutely fantastic True Detective comes to a close, capping off a thrilling, emotionally resonant, and satisfying finale. It’s sure to disappoint some viewers–especially the theorists–but overall, it’s a fitting end to this intelligently crafted, endlessly compelling eight-episode run.
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“It’s a football game. What you need for a football game is a football field, 22 kids, and a pigskin.”
Sometimes, simple is the way to go. Sometimes, all you need to do is go out and participate in something you love, a passion that’s part of who you are. This is exactly what Coach and his players do in “Mud Bowl”, a thrilling, intense, and pretty much perfect episode of television. |
A MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT OBAMA: The premise behind this sketch is fairly average, but when you bring out Liam Neeson and have him repeat his “Taken” monologue, the entertainment level will still be ratcheted up a bit. The macho-man Obama stuff falls a bit flat, but overall, this is better than your normal political cold open. GRADE: B
MONOLOGUE: I could do without addressing the nudity on Girls again, as I’m past tired of that discussion (also, uh oh, does that mean more Internet trolling tomorrow?). However, I’m a sucker for double entendres, and Kate McKinnon in particular is great as Dunham’s grandmother. GRADE: B-
“Real justice is personal. Sometimes the only way to get it is with your own two hands.”
For an episode that’s supposed to be a set-up for the finale, it still feels like a whole bunch of stuff goes down. That’s Banshee for you, constantly bringing the action and, more recently, the fantastic character work.
“One of these things is not like the other.”
“Sakizuki” opens with a terrifyingly intense sequence, one in which Roland Umber, the man caught in the eye of people from the end of last week’s episode, attempts to escape. The camera follows him as he agonizingly rips himself free, tears through a cornfield, and ultimately plunges to his death.
EPISODE 18, “EXTENDED FAMILIES”
As mentioned in the title, this episode is about various family dynamics and how they play a role in shaping our characters’ decisions and attitudes. For example, we have Tim Riggins essentially integrating himself into a new family, which certainly makes sense due to the events that transpired with his dad; that sense of disappointment is manifesting itself in a desire to prove something to himself through Bo and her mother. Although as of right now, I have to say that these two new characters don’t do much to really peak my interest, I’m sure Kitsch will handle it well. I’m betting this will go down the “sleeping with Jackie” road.
Polar Bears Watch TV 