Tag Archives: TV Recap

Dexter “Make Your Own Kind of Music” Review (8×08)

27 Aug

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“……

………

……….she’s my mom!”

What irritates me the most about this final season is that there are absolutely no stakes. The introduction of Evelyn Vogel seems intriguing on the surface, but when you look closer, you realize that the writers have put absolutely no thought into her character. Take this episode, for example. Vogel’s never seen her son’s body, her son used to leave her stuff just like the Brain Surgeon does (HINT HINT!), and oh, her son’s also a psychopath. I think most people would put two and two together, and not get five.

It’s not just her character, though. The writers have zero interest in creating a compelling world around the titular character, and not even an actor like Michael C. Hall can hold this show up for long. Even Deb, that one supposed thorn in Dexter’s side, is off screwing around with Quinn and Elway and whatnot. I mean, like, did the whole attempted drowning scenario just vanish off the face of the Earth? Jennifer Carpenter’s a more than capable actress, writers. Just look at the first few episodes of the season.

Anyway, in this episode, we had the whole Oliver Saxon plot, one in which I was constantly shaking my head in confusion and laughing my head off. Why is this even important? I don’t really care who he killed or that he’s Vogel’s son. Oh, and the way Dexter conveniently finds the dude is hilarious. Zach, in his “cutting my head open”-defying ways, is able to somehow leave some evidence that Dexter finds, who then magically throws it into his crazy computer-megatron face scanner, and voilà! It’s Ryan Gosling!

This season has been really terrible about introducing new characters, then focusing on them more than the supposed main characters. We’re in a final season, folks. Are the writers setting up a Harrison-Saxon showdown or something? That would actually be hilarious. Speaking of, I really don’t get why we have to be constantly barraged with the whole “LET’S MOVE TO ARGENTINA, BABY!” stuff, as it’s becoming increasingly obvious that that won’t happen. This Hannah-Dexter relationship is getting tiresome, the actors have no chemistry, and the writers are staring straight ahead, focusing solely on Dexter. In eight years, he’s been constantly elevated above the rest of the cast, facing absolutely NO consequences in which he’s been blamed (does he even care about Rita now?). That was fine for a while, but once again, FINAL SEASON=ENDGAME.

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I appreciate the fact that the episode was trying to bring everything together to set the wheels in motion for the endgame. However, the endgame was introduced a few seasons ago, then took a break, and is now suddenly being re-introduced in the final 3 episodes of the season. I liked the way the season started off, but it’s taken several turns for the worst. Dexter should be exploring the moral complexities of its titular character, delving into his relationships with and influence on the people around him. He should be facing consequences for his actions, either through legal action or conflict within his family. Instead, we get Harrison and his pancakes.

Grade: C

Other Thoughts:

-Kenny Johnson’s amazing, but he’s introduced here as yet another idiot cop. Yeah, a blood spatter analyst makes enough to buy houses for random people.

-Yvonne Strahovski wore a pink dress.

-Masuka’s daughter? Yeah, I don’t know what she’s doing here, either.

-Deb lets Hannah stay with her and eats her food because why?

-What about the Maria LaGuerta Memorial Bench? No one’s sitting on it!

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

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Breaking Bad “Confessions” Review (5×11)

26 Aug

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“Why don’t you just kill yourself, Walt?”

Walter White is a despicable person. He’s cheated, lied, and manipulated his way to the top, and in order to keep his position, he has to do so to a greater extent. In fact, he’s not just lying now; he’s manipulating the truth. In the wonderfully directed confession scene, some of what he says is actually what has transpired. However, it’s also an absolutely brilliant act of fiction. It’s the only way to get Hank to back down, and we feel the wrenching effects of the message in Dean Norris’ face. Strangely fitting, isn’t it, that Walt exudes the most power through a TV screen? He’s become a caricature of himself, the Heisenberg persona permeating every single aspect of his life. The dinner scene beforehand shows us, however, that Hank will never forgive Walter. Unlike last week, he pushes Skyler away right off the bat. He’s only hell-bent on taking Walt down, but he has one flaw: he’s smart.

It’s a strange thing to say, I know, but consider Walt’s personality for a second. He’s cold, calculating, and manipulative in ways that Hank has never anticipated. In fact, he was able to outsmart Gus Fring, the previous cold, calculating, and manipulative mastermind. He should be able to outsmart Hank, and he does. Now, what Walt doesn’t expect, though, is unpredictability. This comes in the form of Jesse Pinkman. He has no friends, no family, and no restraints, and it’s a dangerous situation for Walt because Jesse just doesn’t care. Walt realizes this, though, but he deals with it in the same manner he would for someone like Skyler. He hugs Jesse, trying to strengthen that father-son bond he wants to believe is still existent, much like he hugged Skyler back in “Live Free or Die.” However, Jesse breaks down because he just can’t take it anymore; we can see he wants to acquiesce to Walt, but it’s much too difficult.

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Then comes the explosion. All that pent-up anger, fear, and sadness manifests itself in a beautiful, yet frightening, sequence of events in which Jesse beats up and threatens Saul, realizes Walt’s role in the ricin poisoning, and rushes to Walt’s house to douse it in gasoline. It’s an abrupt ending, but that’s kind of the point.

Grade: A

Other thoughts:

-The cold open is interesting to analyze. We have Todd exaggerating the details of the train robbery, then leaving a message for Walt. I find it interesting how in the same episode Jesse completely turns on Walt, Todd’s still sucking up to him. He’s like the former Jesse.

-I also liked the tarantula that appears later on, especially given that Todd leaves the murder part out of his story.

-I loved the shot of Walt racing to the car wash all in a panic, then composing himself outside of the door. It’s, once again, some great direction by the crew.

-Walt and Flynn’s scene is, once again, a prime example of Walt continuing to use his family to hold over Hank and Marie’s heads. Of course, the dinner scene reflects the failure of that plan.

-The dinner scene is wonderful. I love the juxtaposition of the cheery exterior, complete with Trent and his guacamole-making ways, with the tension at the table. It’s a fantastically-acted scene.

-Saul just standing in the background of Jesse and Walt’s desert scene was amazing.

-The episode really made me nervous for the characters. I’d imagine the next few episodes will once again have that “anyone can go down” mentality. It’s going to be a ride.

-I hope Walt Jr. wasn’t home at the end.

Credit to AMC and Breaking Bad for all pictures. I own nothing.

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Orange is the New Black Season 1 Review

24 Aug

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“And so the penguin says, ‘Dude, he’s not an eggplant, he’s retarded!'”

(Spoilers Follow) No other line sums up this fantastic season of television like this one does; simultaneously silly on the outside and layered underneath. We’re not supposed to get this joke, but it originates from a deeply diverse, fascinating, and morally complex group of characters, whether it be the inmates and guards of Litchfield Prison, or their families, who have been affected in various ways due to the situation.

The main character is one Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), incarcerated for her involvement in her lesbian lover’s drug-running operation. She’s engaged to her fiancee Larry, and the pilot shows us several sweet scenes of their goodbyes. Over the next few episodes, the show’s course is fairly predictable; Piper gets herself into trouble, that “new girl” status stamped squarely on her forehead. She’s a privileged woman that was, and continues to be, self-involved. Due to these complications, many of her actions seem like two steps back for every step forward, and this can make her arc frustrating.

However. this show impressed me by completely subverting my expectations from the beginning of the season. Red, the bad-ass, intimidating Russian cook that starved Piper, becomes the sensitive, proud cook that cares for her kitchen as she would a daughter. Crazy Eyes, the crazy maniac that peed outside of Piper’s room, becomes the complex, naive woman who we grow to care about. Even Piper grows. We start to feel sympathy for her as she faces hardship after hardship, eventually culminating in that final scene outside in the snow. More on that later.

On the other side of the spectrum, there are characters who turn out to be worse than we expected. For example, Healy, the seemingly kind guard on Piper’s side, becomes a despicable misogynist whose journey is inherently tragic. Ultimately, the show excels at pulling back the layers and revealing the true humanity of the people there, whether it be through flashbacks or interactions with others.

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Orange Is the New Black is a must watch new TV series, and it’s only available on Netflix. Trust me, this show is absolutely magnificent.

Season Grade: A-                   Best episode: Tall Men With Feelings

Other Thoughts:

-The final scene was strangely fitting to end the season. Piper’s been beaten down, humiliated, threatened, and pushed away by Alex and Larry, and she absolutely erupts on Pennsatucky. She’s trapped, and it evokes similarities to the final scene of “The Chickening.” It makes sense for her, and it’ll be interesting to see how they resolve this. The scene is also a nice juxtaposition between the tranquility of the snow and the pageant and the brutal, violent act taking place amidst all of it.

-On Pennsatucky: I thought Manning owned her role. Pennsa is over the top, but that doesn’t mean the writing of her character is flawed. She’s a person that focuses solely on what’s right in front of her, and prison (especially the psych ward) can exacerbate those problems until she becomes actually crazy.

-The Larry interview sequence in Episode 11 is my favorite sequence of the series so far. It brilliantly portrays the way his words poison the fabric of the prison community and bring Piper’s world crashing down around her, and is simultaneously uplifting to some and heartbreaking to others (Uzo Aduba is wonderful there).

-Pornstache’s character, like Healy, is also inherently tragic. He wants to be accepted, and all that pent up rage manifests itself in the way he treats the inmates. His love for Daya is pure desperation.

-Larry’s character is problematic, but ultimately, he needs to be here. The show has to reflect the effects on the outside world. A prison show is as much about perspective as it is about community.

-Finally, Taystee, my favorite character. She’s hilarious, and her friendship with Poussey is so genuine and heartwarming. The disparity between the harsh reality of the outside world and the sense of community in the prison is most evident for her character, as she decides to return. The bonds we make are sometimes the strongest when we’re sharing hardship.

Credit to Netflix and Orange is the New Black for all pictures. I own nothing.

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