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Post by harlequinade on Apr 25, 2017 4:25:35 GMT
New Veep Gary's car freakout
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Post by notacrook on Apr 26, 2017 18:27:15 GMT
The Americans Season 5 - Episode 8.
Same as before. Writing, directing, acting is fantastic (Russell was particularly great this week), but the story needs to get a move on. 8/10
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Post by DeepArcher on Apr 26, 2017 20:46:53 GMT
Better Call Saul 3x03: Not as spectacular as last week, but it did a great job of continuing both Jimmy's and Mike's storylines, and setting the groundwork for the conflicts to come.
The Americans 5x08: The plot is still stagnant as hell, but honestly I've been enjoying this season's character moments so much that it's hardly even bothering me. The last scene between Paige and Elizabeth, for example, was just fantastic, a very touching and funny mother-daughter moment; I've just really loved what they've done with that relationship throughout this whole season. And then there's other moments like that masterful phone-booth juxtaposition scene that just felt like prime Americans. And even while the storylines still aren't thrilling, this episode definitely showed signs of life in many of them that have me excited for the last five episodes.
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Post by notacrook on Apr 26, 2017 20:54:16 GMT
The Handmaid's Tale premiere.
Damn, this was great. Really great. It's hard to find a better actress than Elisabeth Moss, who gave possibly my all-time favourite TV performance in Mad Men. Her performance here is both subtle and full of energy, as she manages to convey a series of complex emotions while also playing the role of an oppressed, largely mute slave. The rest of the cast is also great, especially Wiley, Dowd and Bledel (not the greatest actress, but she suits this role perfectly). The show is also directed to perfection, instantly giving it a mesmerising, stylish and haunting quality. There is also a great use of flashbacks, well-placed throughout the episode that flow naturally with the primary setting.
This first episode was pretty relentless in its grim depiction of this dystopian society, and while that makes perfect sense - especially as set-up - it did make the hour kind of exhausting. That's not really a criticism though; the episode needed to be tough and draining in order for the horrific story to have proper impact. I can't wait to watch more. 9.5/10
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Post by notacrook on Apr 27, 2017 22:03:28 GMT
The Handmaid's Tale 1x02. I just can't get over how stunning this show is to look at, or how amazing Moss is in every single scene. She's even fantastic in her voice narration. The story continues to be dark and intriguing, especially as we find out more about the character of Ofglen (that ending!). It's definitely between this and The Leftovers for best show on TV right now as far as I'm concerned. 9.5/10
Fargo 3x02. Now this is more like it. It's still not as great as S1 or 2 just yet, as some of the characters and their storylines just aren't all that interesting to me, particularly Emmit. But this episode was literally full of hilarious, classic Fargo lines and interactions, as well as interesting plot progression. Thewlis was fucking hilarious, with a touch of menace. Winstead and Stuhlbarg continue to kill it, and Coon had a lot more to do this week, which was great. McGregor hasn't mastered the accent all that well, but otherwise he's giving two very solid performances. 9/10
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Post by Viced on Apr 27, 2017 22:50:49 GMT
First three episodes of Atlanta. It's solid, I guess.
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Post by DeepArcher on Apr 28, 2017 3:18:12 GMT
Fargo 3x02: Really great stuff. It felt steadier and more confident than last week's, and I think I liked it more. As it did last week, the Ray/Nikki relationship is feeling very reminiscent of the Ed/Peggy dynamic from last season, though Winstead's character is going a bit off the rails in a total different way; she's a wild card for sure and should be fun to watch in the episodes to come. I also like how we got to spend a bit more time with Emmitt this week (and Sy, with the underrated Michael Stuhlbarg getting a hilarious showcase so far this season), and I loved how this week's episode showed us that Emmitt and Ray both mean well in their relationship, but are doomed by the manipulations of their closest associates. Thewlis is still killing it (this week's MVP for sure), I adored that final sequence with him. Weird how Carrie Coon still feels like an afterthought here. I'm hoping next week we'll get some further fleshing-out of Gloria, as well as more intriguing developments in her investigation. Also can't wait to see more of Shea Whigham, another great underrated talent that I'm happy to see here.
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Post by notacrook on Apr 28, 2017 22:22:09 GMT
The Handmaid's Tale 1x03
This show has the power to make you so angry at the stuff it depicts, and that's a huge testament to how brilliantly they are crafting this story. This is the best episode so far for sure. Alexis Bledel was just outstanding here, and she didn't say one word. 10/10
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Post by notacrook on May 1, 2017 10:42:38 GMT
The Leftovers 3x03.
I didn't love it quite as much as the previous two episodes, but it was still pretty amazing. I've never really cared about Kevin Sr., despite Glenn's always great performance, but his story here was great. Lindsay Duncan's big speech at the end was a masterclass in acting. 9.5/10
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lee
Junior Member
Posts: 301
Likes: 111
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Post by lee on May 1, 2017 15:29:06 GMT
Anyone saw American Gods yet? I have, didn't really like it tbh
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Post by cheesecake on May 1, 2017 15:38:19 GMT
Pilot of American Gods. Welp, that's a Starz show alright.
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Post by DeepArcher on May 1, 2017 21:14:01 GMT
Silicon Valley 4x02: Loved the premiere, and this was even better. They took some risks by introducing such a high-stakes conflict so early in the season, but it paid off immensely well. Every scene in this episode was entertaining as hell with the way that each plot thread intersected and influenced the greater whole, and yet it still feels like it's just laying groundwork for even greater things down the line. Also had a lot of hilarious moments with classic Silicon humor, like Ehrlich's mishap with Jian Yang, and Jared's "We can talk about sports teams and their scores, or ... pussy..." line.
Veep 6x03: This season is still probably the worst the show has been since the second season, but it's still watchable. I liked seeing many of the major characters thrown back into the same place again for this episode. It didn't have a huge payoff, but there were a handful of golden moments this week; Richard's "tourist hat" moment had me in stitches, for example.
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Post by doddgerhardt on May 2, 2017 6:25:57 GMT
Better Call Saul. Now we're getting somewhere. Great episode.
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Post by harlequinade on May 2, 2017 10:12:39 GMT
American Gods 1x01 - First episode was horribly paced and looked cheap as hell, hope it improves because I love McShane. The other board I'm on is filled with praised for it, wtf did I see the same episode?
Veep 6x03 - Hilarious, love it whenever Mina shows up
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Post by pessimusreincarnated on May 3, 2017 13:51:58 GMT
I re-watched F is For Family in preparation for Season 2. Despite some uneven moments in the early going, the show eventually finds its footing, and becomes a hilarious and emotionally resonant snapshot of a lower-middle class family in the 70s. You can definitely tell Bill Burr pulled a lot from personal experiences to create this.
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Post by JangoB on May 3, 2017 19:07:11 GMT
Continuing my quest through mini-series with Wolf Hall, a superb historical drama which tells its story as well as it could've been told. It may not look as fancy as something like "John Adams", but it's every bit as compelling and captivating from a storytelling standpoint. The fifth episode is simply stupendous television. And the finale just makes you beg for more (I do hope they make another season since there is stuff left to explore). The cast is universally magnificent and Mark Rylance leads the pack with an impeccable performance. Very restrained and nuanced, but also mesmerizing and haunting, his Cromwell is a wonder to behold. Loved it.
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Post by DeepArcher on May 3, 2017 21:01:34 GMT
The Americans 5x09: It's weird how last week, I felt that this season had been stagnating in terms of plot, but after this week, it feels like things are becoming waaaay too busy. Seriously, it's like this episode just completely threw aside every storyline the show was building-up last week and opened up a bunch of new threads, with absolutely no sign of things starting to connect together in the last four episodes of the season -- or the last fourteen of the series, for that matter. I criticize it, but it wasn't a bad episode. There was certainly a prevailing sense of past demons catching up to the story and characters to motivate it/them further, from Stan's conversation with Frank's widow about avenging his death, to Oleg discussing Nina's death with his interrogator, to Oleg later being told of his mother's tragic past by his father, to Tuan being held back by his past life, and, of course, with Martha. Speaking of which, it was nice to see her appear (Wright was fantastic in that scene), not to mention it was refreshing to see the writers not forgetting about Kimmy and that storyline, which will hopefully be becoming relevant again in the coming weeks.
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Post by harlequinade on May 4, 2017 15:17:23 GMT
The debate episode of Veep (3x08). The legitimate hole scene is one of the best things ever in the series
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Post by notacrook on May 4, 2017 18:32:31 GMT
The Americans 5x09
Having that tense, episode-long buildup with Tuan end up just being about him visiting his family is a perfect summation of this season. I'm getting some Shield S6 vibes here, in the sense that this has been a slow, somewhat frustrating penultimate season. I'm not really sure the writers should be able to get away with just how slow these storylines have been moving over the last bunch of episodes. That's not to say it's bad quality; this is still The Americans, after all. I adored the Gabriel and Martha interaction, and the scene with Oleg and his father. I just need some plot progression. At this point, the last four episodes are going to make or break this season. 8/10
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Post by notacrook on May 4, 2017 21:23:51 GMT
The Handmaid's Tale 1x04.
A notch down from the previous 3, but still really excellent stuff. Some of these characters are just despicable (Aunt fucking Lydia) and when their comeuppance surely comes, it will be glorious. 9/10
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Post by DeepArcher on May 4, 2017 22:14:25 GMT
Fargo 3x03: The change of pace was a ballsy move, but it's also sort of inherently tedious knowing that Gloria is barking up the wrong tree throughout the whole investigation. There is a slight connection to the season's "story vs. truth" theme by the end of the episode, but it's not enough of a justification for the overall futility of the episode. I love Carrie Coon and I think she's making the most of what she has to work with, but I found her character to be the most boring part of the season in the first two episodes and my opinion of Gloria isn't much higher after spending a whole episode with her. I was also disappointed because I thought that Rob McElhenney's guest appearance was more or less wasted. Oh, well. Appreciated the Barton Fink homages, though.
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Post by notacrook on May 5, 2017 19:58:56 GMT
Homeland 6x03
This show is so damn inconsistent. After it completely fell apart in S3, it really came back strong with seasons 4 and 5. But so far, S6 has been totally flat and uninteresting. There are some good scenes here and there, and it's topical in a sometimes engaging way, but most of it just feels so dull. And despite the consistently great performance from Claire Danes, it's kind of a shame how Carrie has gone from a great TV character to one of the most frustrating and stupid around. 5.5/10
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Post by notacrook on May 8, 2017 17:12:55 GMT
The Leftovers 3x04.
How can this show be so consistently amazing? It leaves me stunned week in week out, something no other show on TV does. Each episode is so thrillingly different and daring, it's just wonderful to behold. This was probably my favourite episode of the season so far, with those final few minutes being a Leftovers high point. Carrie Coon was her usual powerhouse self, and Theroux (who is actually quite underrated, I think) more than held his own. And to cap it all off, 'Take On Me'. Perfect episode. 10/10
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Post by notacrook on May 8, 2017 19:41:15 GMT
Fargo 3x03.
Still not as great as Fargo so frequently was in its first two seasons, but this was still a very fun, different episode that finally gave Carrie Coon some real stuff to do. It felt kinda inconsequential (something the episode itself recognised), but I still enjoyed the extended time with Gloria, as well as the flashbacks to Ennis' past in Hollywood. 8.5/10
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Post by Pavan on May 8, 2017 20:28:53 GMT
Westworld S1x01- Interesting premise.
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