When my colleague, Kieran Freemantle, tweeted me earlier this week, asking me to name the best television series set in each of the 50 states (sorry Washington D.C.), my first thought was, “Oh my gosh. 50 is a lot of TV shows and that sounds like a lot of research.” But the more I noodled […]
Tag: HBO
Succession/Barry Series Finales: Analysis
I feel like it’s almost unfair to evaluate the Barry finale right now if, like many of us, you watched it immediately after finishing Succession, which just knocked it out of the park. I do feel a little underwhelmed by Barry, but that could just be the inherent contrast between the styles of the respective […]
Succession Series Finale: Post Mortem
In the end, the number one boy of Succession was the guy who had been willing – since the inception of the series – to put himself in just the right position to secure his continued success. He didn’t seek out power for himself; rather, he placed himself just close enough to the power centers […]
The Best Show You Aren’t Watching: Perry Mason (Season Two)
As someone who, in my previous life, was an attorney, I have a hard time watching shows about the legal process and taking them seriously. After all, it can become distracting when you know a character should have objected to a line of questioning – or shouldn’t have been allowed to object to a line […]
The Last of Us – Look For the Light Review
The first season finale of The Last of Us was excellent for a number of reasons. Strong performances, once again, from our two leads – along with some great work from Merle Dandridge in her return as Marlene and Ashley Johnson (the video game’s Ellie) as Ellie’s mother, Anna.* A story that was unafraid to […]
The Last of Us – When We Are In Need Review
My god, is Bella Ramsey a great actor. That’s what I found myself saying over and over to myself following the close of this week’s The Last of Us. After starting the series off as the closed-off counterpart to Joel – a character we knew far more about than we did Ellie, Ramsey has gotten […]
The Last of Us – Left Behind Review
We all knew this was going to end in tragedy, right? I mean, it’s not like we weren’t prepped by the preceding six episodes – along with Ellie’s vague mentions of the mall from early in the season. But, as has been the case with each tragic ending we’ve experienced, it certainly doesn’t get easier […]
The Last of Us – Kin Review
Unresolved trauma has a way of sneaking up on people when they least expect it – sometimes decades after that first blush of pain was inflicted upon a person. When it comes to Joel, hit after hit have built up a massive wall around the man – no surprise there for anyone who has been […]
The Last of Us – Endure and Survive Review
After five episodes – all stellar, smart, and well-constructed – I think it’s become clear just what makes The Last of Us work as well as it does. Sure, there’s a pre-ordained narrative for the writers to follow (even if they take some liberties from the source material at times, it, thus far, only serves […]
His Dark Materials – The Botanic Garden Review
His Dark Materials has come to a close, ending on a bittersweet note with “The Botanic Garden.” Lyra and Will have fled into the World of the Mulefas, searching for their dæmons. In this paradise, Lyra and Will come across an old friend, Mary. Lyra and Will finally get to act on their feelings for each […]