Tag Archives: American Television

PLUR1BUS: We Is Us [S1E1] – TV Review

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TL;DR – A masterpiece in tension and build-up.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the AppleTV+ service that viewed this series.

Warning – This episode contains flashing lights.

439D 19H 56M 11S.

PLUR1BUS Review –

Today I begin my first dive into a work of Vince Gilligan. I know his work is quality, but unfortunately for me, by the time that Breaking Bad was accessible in Australia, it had already been mostly spoiled. It also meant I did not have the energy to explore Better Call Saul, even though I know it is excellent. But now it’s the time for fresh starts and as the show came highly recommended by my friends, and some dabbling into science fiction helps things along nicely. I found it the right time to press play.    

So, to set the scene, one evening, two SETI scientists find a repeating message coming from space. It is nothing bouncing off the Moon. It is a code repeated every 78 seconds and sent from 600 light-years away. As the scientists try to break the message, Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) is busy signing the latest addition of her romance fantasy book. But little does anyone know that one bite and a kiss later, the entire world changes. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there may be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Peacemaker: Season 2 – TV Review

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TL;DR – A very oddball second season filled with genuine earnest moments, topped off by a profoundly rushed ending.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the HBO Max subscription that viewed this series

Post-Credit Scene – There are end-credit scenes in each episode.

Top Trio mural.

Peacemaker Introduction –

Back in 2022, one of the oddest moments in the modern comic era happened: in the midst of all of its serious problems, as the DC Studio was falling apart, film after film, they decided to put out a TV series around one of the less-liked characters from the Suicide Squad films. What made it even odder is that it kind of worked, with a level of charm that managed to undercut its many issues. Well, it may have helped get James Gunn the job in the big chair and changed the direction of a multi-billion-dollar media empire, but after a cameo in Superman, it is time to dive back into Peacemaker.  

So, to set the scene, in the time since the end of the first season of Peacemaker, things have not quite worked out for many of our characters. Many of them had been blocked and couldn’t get work anymore, and Chris Smith/Peacemaker (John Cena) is still working through the trauma of having to kill his very racist and unpleasant father, Auggie (Robert Patrick). But what happens when you are at your lowest and temptation strikes? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Foundation: Season 3 – TV Review

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TL;DR – This season has started to diverge considerably from the source material, and among its bombast and stunning visuals are some creeping worries.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Apple TV+ service to view this episode.

Looking at a sun.

Foundation Introduction –

When I first started watching the third season of Foundation with A Song for the End of Everything, I was concerned they would be trying to force all of The Mule’s story into this one season. While they avoided that particular pitfall, the season still shows signs of strain as it pushes further from Asimov’s framework, as you can start to feel the show beginning to wobble a bit and potentially head towards disaster as we move farther away from the source material.

So, to set the scene, it has been 152 years since the Second Crisis, and while the Empire continues to collapse, the Foundation grows, expanding further out of the outer reach. Now both the Empire and The Foundation are fighting to control Kalgan, a pleasure planet, and the key to controlling The Middle Band. But there may be a third player out there, ready to tear everything up. For after much prediction, or perhaps, not enough prediction, The Mule (Pilou Asbæk) is on the move, and both sides should fear him because with him comes calamity, and the galaxy is not prepared for what he is about to wreak. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Fallout: The Golden Rule [S2E2] – TV Review

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TL;DR – A riot of whimsy as we delve into the world of Fallout, as the characters try to make sense of everything that goes on.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription used to watch this series.

The destruction of Shady Sands.

Fallout: The Golden Rule Review Introduction –

One of the great things about Fallout has been its ability to be filled with contrasts, yet still manage to keep the whole from being ripped apart. Which, as we have seen from a multitude of adaptations, is a difficult thing to pull off. Grounding something this inherently silly is a rare skill, and the show pulls it off again here.

So, to set the scene, many years before the time of the show, there lived a town called Shady Sands. Life was still hard, but they had found their niche in the wilderness, and they were starting to rebuild the world that had been lost during the Great War that rained down nuclear fire on the earth. However, their success drew the attention of forces they did not know were out there, or in this case, under there, which is why they may not have acted quickly enough when the trader walked into town acting odd. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there may be [SPOILERS] ahead.   

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Clarisse Blows Everything Up [S2E4] – TV Review

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TL;DR – We get reminded again how good the casting has been in this series, and also what the stakes are, because you never know when things are going to explode.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Clarisse and Percy fight.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

Well, we have heard a lot about the Sea of Monsters, but so far, we have been spending a lot of time not actually visiting it. Well, that all changes today, because cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war, because nothing will stop Percy when he is on a quest.

So, to set the scene, a long time ago, Luke was a demigod on the run from monsters with a young Annabeth (Marissa Lior Winans) in his care. They were hiding in a sewer to escape cyclopes that were chasing them and Thalia (Tamara Smart). It is a great sadness for Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) because Thalia never made it to Camp Halfblood. But it may be an illegal quest, but everyone is on board, right up until the part where Clarisse (Dior Goodjohn) blows up their boat. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Fallout: The Innovator [S2E1]– TV Review

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TL;DR – The first episode back ramps up the wackiness and brutality of the new world.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription used to watch this series.

End Credit – There is a mid-credit sequence.

Los Angeles before the fall.

Fallout: The Innovator Review Introduction –

We have gotten a lot of video game adaptations, and to be honest, most of them have been trash. But back in 2024, a miracle happened, we got an adaptation that not only had a decent story with compelling characters, but it also was not afraid of the game it was adapting. Because it leapt into that world, warts and all, with some monumental deep cut lore knowledge and care. It is in that space that we jump into the first episode of the second season to see if they can keep that power going.  

So, to set the scene, back in Season One, Lucy’s (Ella Purnell) world all came crumbling down when she discovered that everything she understood about her life and history was a lie. Also, the Golden Rule doesn’t hold much sway in the Wasteland. While walking, or in some cases being dragged through the rubble of a former life, she ran into Maximus (Aaron Moten), a somewhat reluctant squire of the Brotherhood of Steel, and The Ghoul (Walton Goggins), a ghoul that is one of the few people left who were alive before The Great War. But the world needs answers, and for Lucy, those answers might be found in New Vegas, where her wounded ‘father’ Hank (Kyle MacLachlan) retreated to. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there may be [SPOILERS] ahead.   

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Demon Pigeons Attack [S2E2] – TV Review

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TL;DR – Despite some forced tension, the episode shines with a thrilling chariot race and heartfelt godly moments.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

A swarm of Stymphalian Birds.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

A couple of days ago, we looked at the first part of this opening introduction to Percy Jackson’s second season: I Play Dodgeball with Cannibals. We talked about how it felt like the first part of an opening episode. Well, today we take a look at that second part where things ratchet up in tension as the real threat comes into view.  

So, to set the scene, Tantalus (Timothy Simons) is ruling Camp Half-Blood like his own fiefdom, which is getting in the way of everyone wanting to go save Grover (Aryan Simhadri) and secure the Golden Fleece. But Percy (Walker Scobell) and Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) think they have found a loophole in the rules, thanks to the chariot race, that should let them go on an official quest. Well, that was the idea, but a cryptic warning from Chiron (Glynn Turman) and the sudden swarm of Stymphalian Birds put a wrench in their plans. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: I Play Dodgeball with Cannibals [S2E1] – TV Review

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TL;DR – Our first episode is very much a ‘get all our ducks in a row’ kind of narrative, but I didn’t mind because the cast take it in their stride.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Clarisse La Rue arrives.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

Well, it is good to say that it is time for some more Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I was honestly delighted with everything that Season 1 had to offer, as it showed just how important casting is for a show. Well, now we are back for round two, and I, for one, can’t wait to see what the Sea of Monsters has going on. I mean, I know because I have read the books, but the sentiment still stands.  

So, to set the scene, it has been a year since Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) and his friends Annabeth Chase (Leah Sava Jeffries) & Grover Underwood (Aryan Simhadri) stopped a brewing war between the Gods by discovering that one of their fellow campers, Luke Castellan (Charlie Bushnell), was a thief and was manipulating Olympus into open warfare. While Percy has been away from camp, he has tried to keep up with his friends, but when he dreams that something has gone terribly wrong on Grover’s hunt for the lost god Pan, he must get back to camp right away. Only, is he able to take Tyson (Daniel Diemer), the cyclops his mother, Sally (Virginia Kull), befriended through the barrier that stops monsters? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – New Life and New Civilizations [S3E10] & Season 3 – TV Review

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TL;DR – An odd end to a strange season of Star Trek.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ streaming service that viewed this episode. 

The USS Enterprise.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Introduction –

Well, we have gotten to the end of what has become a very odd season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. It rolled from one wild entry to the next, giving such tonal whiplash that you have to look back on it in awe. However, there was also a thematic throughline throughout the season. And. Well. Look. It’s not great. But let’s take a moment to dive in and see if they at least stuck the landing before we look back at the season as a whole.  

So, to set the scene, the USS Enterprise is getting ready to take Captain Batel (Melanie Scrofano) back to Earth so she can take up her position as the head of Starfleet JAG. Captain Pike (Anson Mount) is feeling a lot of emotions as he is happy to see Batel finding her place in the world, but it does mean that they have to go back to long-distance. But as they start giving the Enterprise a much-needed detail, Scottie (Martin Quinn) finds that someone has patched himself together in the medical transporter and escaped. But who would do such a thing? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode and season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Twisted Metal: Season 2 – TV Review

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TL;DR – The mayhem was increased, but I am not sure it had the same impact as the first season.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Stan service that viewed this series.

End Credit Scene – NUY3ARZ has a mid and end credit scene.

Calypso.

Twisted Metal Review Introduction –

I was intrigued when they first announced they were doing an adaptation of Twisted Metal. Its chaotic nature seemed tailor-made for television, provided the adaptation didn’t dilute its core. Also, there was just enough of a narrative framework lurking in the background to give you something to hang your story on, but not enough that you are stuck telling someone else’s vision. The First Season had its flaws, but it sold a world. Now I am looking to see if Season Two can build on that.

So, to set the scene, 20 years ago, the world fell apart as a virus destroyed the world’s computers. This apocalyptic event split the world in two. Some walled themselves up inside cities, and for those who got booted outside, a lawless void awaited. But there is intrigue on the horizon, because the enigmatic Calypso (Anthony Carrigan) has called a tournament. Anyone with a car can enter, but the last one standing will get any wish they desire. It is a possibility that no one can turn down. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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