TL;DR – Watching this I discovered
that Orange Juice goes into ever marinade and there is a peach not-pie that has
my name on it.
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Review –
There are many reasons to make a food TV show, maybe you want to explore what
drives the top chefs, maybe it is exploring the food that speaks to a place or
time, or maybe you create a TV show so you can hang out with a friend and cook
stuff across America.
So to set the scene, back in 2014 Jon Favreau wrote and directed a film called Chef about someone who quits his job in
a fine dining restaurant to open a food truck. On the film consulting about the
food was Chef Roy Choi who had followed a similar story in his real life. I
have not seen Chef (though that will
likely change in the coming days) it is clear that the two formed a strong
friendship which we see all throughout The
Chef Show.
TL;DR – This is a series that I think is important for everyone to see because what we do has consequences and those consequences can be ruined lives.
Score – 5 out of 5 stars
Review –
When I loaded up this limited series, I kind of had an idea of what to expect.
I had heard about the Central Park Five before and I thought I had a rough
framework as to what happened and of course, having the blowhard-in-chief double
down on it helped bring it all back into focus. However, while I understood
what happened, it was an intellectual knowledge and not an emotional one. While
I walked in here with what I thought was understanding, I now know I had no
idea, none what so ever.
So to set the scene, one evening in April in New York City a group of young
people of mostly African-American decent came together to have a bit of a raucous
in Central Park. Soon the police arrived and brought a bunch of them in disturbing
the peace after roughing more than a few of them in the process. However, later
that night in the north section of the park woman was found clinging to life
after being raped and assaulted. It is at this point that detective Linda
Fairstein (Felicity Huffman) draws the connection between the two incidents.
Soon Kevin Richardson (Asante Blackk), Antron McCray (Caleel Harris), Yusef
Salaam (Ethan Herisse), Raymond Santana (Marquis Rodriguez), and Korey Wise (Jharrel
Jerome) are dragged in front of the police, with no adults present. Soon the
police would have their confessions, for assault and rape, confessions that
looked dubious even under the most cursory inspection.
TL;DR – While there has been patchy moments this season, I do think they stuck the ending.
Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Review –
Well, here we are, the final ever episode of Game of Thrones (if you don’t count the multiple prequels in
preproduction at the moment). I can still remember that day when I first
watched the very first episode as a group of men from The Watch go north past
The Wall and discover there was something worse than wildlings waiting for
them. A lost queen forced to marry into a barbarian horde to secure her ungrateful
brother an army to retake their throne. A drunkard ruling a kingdom though all
he wants to do is hunt and joust and fornicate with people who are not his
wife. A family of noble people trying to do what is right, especially when it
is hard, and being woefully unprepared for the mess they were walking into.
Also, the things we do for love. All of those years of story have been building
to this final episode, and I wonder can they stick the landing?
So to set the scene, during last week’s The
Bells a lot of things happen and a lot of people died. After the death
of Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) in The
Last of the Starks, Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) had become inconsolable,
and Missandei’s final word Dracarys sat in her mind so that even when she heard
the bells of surrender Dany decided to burn Kings Landing to the ground, not
really caring who or what got in her way. The complete slaughter of the capital
is something she has threatened since she arrived and finally showed what
damage even one dragon can do, insert the nuclear weapons analogies. The
capital is in ruins, Jon (Kit Harington) tried to do the right thing and
failed, Cersei (Lena Headey) and Jamie (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) had their whole
worlds crash down on them, oh and Euron (Pilou Asbæk) is finally gone. We open
with the aftermath as ash and snow still fall in the ruins of Kings Landing and
the dead and dying lay among the wreckage. Here Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), Jon (Kit
Harington), and Davos (Liam Cunningham) walk and see the damage their actions
have wrought and the potential hell that they have unleashed. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode
as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.
TL;DR – After a season of fun Brooklyn Nine-Nine comes
to a close in what would have been a great series finale if we didn’t have an
amazing season seven in store.
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Review –
Today is an interesting review to write because I know that it would be a very different
tone if it was not already announced that a Season Seven is on the way. It
would be a review of closure and looking back. However, today, while there is a
bit of closure we instead get the joy of looking forward to what is still yet
to come.
So to set the scene, underneath all the hijinks, crimes, heists, and murders
this season has been an overarching story about two futures for the NYPD. There
is the future under John Kelly (Phil Reeves) which was looking back at Stop and
Frisk and other outmoded forms of policing and the future under Raymond Holt (Andre
Braugher) that is looking forward. At the start of the season in Honeymoon,
it was clear that Kelly had won, and that he would make the 99 pay for getting
in his way. After a season of back and forth, it finally comes to a head when
Kelly puts Jake (Andy Samberg) right in the middle of their feud where he has
to choose between following Holt and saving lives. Just a reminder as we dive
into both Sicko and Suicide Squad we will be looking at the
episodes as a whole, that there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.
TL;DR – The rushed final
season is starting to show its issues … badly.
Score – 2.5 out of 5 stars
Review –
I have honestly been really happy where the final season has been going so far.
I liked how Winterfell and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms were these
slow-burn episodes giving us some much-needed character development and
interaction. I found The
Long Night to be a really emotional experience as the dead came
and slaughtered. I was ever really jiving with The
Last of the Starks up until that last 15 minutes. It was like a
speed boat suddenly threw out its anchor grinding everything to a halt. This
means for the first time, I am coming into an episode of this 8th
season, and the penultimate episode at that, with a lot of hesitation and I
don’t know how to feel about that.
So to set the scene, last week everyone was celebrating their win over the dead
and the Night King (Vladimir Furdik) but there was still one big threat on the
horizon. Cersei (Lena Headey) still controls King’s Landing, and with it the legitimacy
of the throne. Just one problem Cersei captured Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel)
and beheaded her in front of Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and well that did not go
down well. So we begin today with everyone getting ready for the final push but
some people have reservations and one of them is Lord Varys (Conleth Hill) who
is finally caught out. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a
whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. This week we are going to
do something a little different and focus our review on different character relationships
because it is through these relationships we see the very highs of this episode
and the real lows.
TL;DR – After six years, will the annual heist be a
dull affair, no of course not.
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Review –
Throughout Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s
history, there have been a number of running jokes and the most recurrent of
these is the Halloween heist. For me, the original heist episode all the way
back in Season One was one of the episodes that elevated the show from being
just fun to something more. However, after six times around is there anything
new you can do with this idea, indeed Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) calls out this
very sentiment, but I think the show still has a few surprises left.
So to set the scene, it is Cinco de Mayo and Terry (Terry Crews) is stress
eating because it is the day he is taking his lieutenants exam. As a way to
help take his mind off it Jake (Andy Samberg) and Captain Holt (Andre Braugher)
both suggest that they run their annual heist today as they could not run it on
Halloween because of a gas pipe explosion. Soon it is decided that the teams
will be Terry and Jake vs Holt and Amy (Melissa Fumero), because Rosa and
Charles (Joe Lo Truglio) are over it. All they have to do is get Scully’s (Joel
McKinnon Miller) medical alert bracelet by the end of the night, which can’t be
too hard … right. Now
from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some
[SPOILERS] ahead.
TL;DR – An episode of two
halves that don’t work together, but at least it nails the first part.
Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Review –
One thing that always resonates in a good show is an impact. When you change
the game what is the impact on the characters and the greater world. This is
one area that historically Game of Thrones
has excelled at, and this might be the biggest impact we have had so far. After
the battle comes a moment of reflection, but then what if there is no time because
there are still enemies on the board?
So to set the scene, we begin in the moments after the end of last week’s The
Long Night. At the end of the battle, Arya (Maisie Williams) was the
one who finally stopped the Night King (Vladimir Furdik) destroying all of his
minions. However, this was not before thousands of lives were lost, including
the leader House Mormont Lyanna Mormont (Bella Ramsey). It was a major victory
but also a stunning loss, one that might have set the scene for a safer world
but at the cost of putting Cersei (Lena Headey) in maybe an unbeatable position.
However, when you have gumption on your side (and also some dragons) anything
is possible, maybe. Now
from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some
[SPOILERS] ahead.
TL;DR – Gina is back, and she
brings her hectic world with her.
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Review –
When it was announced that there was going to be a new season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine there was a sense of
jubilation that was only tempered slightly by the fact that it was also announced
that Chelsea Peretti would not be doing the full season, but she would be back
for guest appearances. Well, today we get the first of those as we get a little
insight into the crazy world of Gina Linetti.
So to set the scene, at the end of Four Movements
Gina left her job at the 99 to better find herself. Since that time she has been
apparently blowing off her former friends, not that Jake (Andy Samberg)
notices. But meanwhile, she has built a large media empire and brand that has
been exploding across the internet. Well, she is back in New York, so she invites
Jake and Terry (Terry Crews) come meet her, only for it to be a work thing. For
you see someone has been sending her death threats, and this time it might be
serious. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode
as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.
TL;DR – The storm is here,
the storm is coming for you, the storm bites.
Score – 5 out of 5 stars
Review –
Have you ever watched a show where over seven seasons of story led to one
moment, thinking back for me only maybe Deep
Space Nine, or possibly Fringe
funnelled everything into one moment. Well, today we have another example to
add to the mix, with just about every single person left alive in Game of Thrones all in the same location
waiting for the oncoming storm.
So to set the scene, during last week’s A
Knight of the Seven Kingdoms we got a chance to sit back and revisit
all the characters that we had gotten to know over the last few seasons, which
would have been great if this didn’t have the feel of one last happy moment before
the end. Jon (Kit Harington) told Danni (Emilia Clarke) about who he was which
yep shocker did not go down well. Arya (Maisie Williams) made it with Gendry (Joe
Dempsie), Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) and Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) plan out
their post-conflict lives and we get drunk by the fire. However, at every
moment there is the threat of death that will be with them before the morning.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, that time is here, and oh wow, just wow. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so
there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.
TL;DR – Time travel, parallel
universes, and the end of the universe, oh my.
Score – 4.5 out of 5 stars
Review –
Time travel is a dangerous thing because you never know just what you may accidentally
do. Today we are looking at the second part of an interesting look at the past
of The Orville. It gives us time to
see characters in a new light, in new circumstances, and asks the question:
what could really happen when you know the future?
So to set the scene, at the end of Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow Kelly (Adrianne Palicki) was meant to be sent
back in time with her memories wiped so she could not accidentally change the
crew’s past and her future because of the knowledge she knows. Well at the end
of last week’s episode we discover that the memory wipe didn’t take, and out of
a need to not cause any pain Kelly decides not to accept Ed’s (Seth MacFarlane)
proposal for a second date. I mean that can’t change anything, right, it is
just one date, right …? Well, as it turns out it might have changed everything. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode
as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.
TL;DR Movie Reviews and Analysis 