American Horror Story NYC: The Sentinel

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The killer is caught but the killing continues.

I enjoyed that they finally caught the serial killer and brought him to justice, now hopefully we can tackle the two other major elephants in the room, the supernatural Big Daddy killer and the quickly spreading AIDS epidemic two things which are far more interesting that just a bog standard serial killer narrative.

I thought Russell Tovey’s Patrick is the shining star of this episode and his fiery speech as he leaves his employment at the police force is definitely a fist in the air sort of moment. I am intrigued by the fact that he is seeing visions of Barbara, played by Leslie Grossman, and hope that they further explore his connections to the supernatural killer that took her life.

I again found this episode a little slow at times and do think they are dragging out the season and that it would have been better with fewer episodes.

Overall, a good episode but one that highlights the wider pacing issues with the season as a whole.

Pros.

Finally catching the killer

Tovey

The visions of Barbara

They can now focus on the bigger picture

Cons.

Pacing issues

A fair number of slow moments that indicate padding and filler within both the episode and the season.

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Rick And Morty: Full Meta Jackrick

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

After breaking the fourth wall one too many times Rick and Morty fall into the meta and are imprisoned by Story Lord returning from a past episode.

I would say this is probably the best episode of the season, in some senses that is because structurally it is more like one of the earlier season episode, meaning more of a one off adventure wherein other episodes are mentioned but there is no heavy need to build the story up, also the tone is breezy and silly rather than brooding and depressed. Two keys wins in my book.

I thought the gimmick of the episode was fun and I liked that Rick and Morty had to face off against different story tropes and writing devices, I thought it was clever. The ending felt a little like the writers trying to self-deprecate themselves, which works in the narrative sense but isn’t very funny. It also feels a little Deus Ex Machina for my tastes.

Overall, hopefully we get more episodes like this going forward into the last few episodes of the season so that it can be salvaged.

Pros.

The concept of the episode

Rick and Morty facing off against various different writing tropes and devices

It feels fun and one off

A few good jokes

Cons.

The ending and its convenience

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Wednesday Series Overview: A Family Reunion

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Wednesday Addams, played by Jenna Ortega, is given her own show wherein she is sent off to boarding school.

I think this is the best series Netflix has made in a long time. Yes, there are similarities between it and Riverdale, though this is infinitely better written and less gratuitous, because both are teen shows set primarily with dealing with teen issues and occasionally otherworldly hijinks.

However, where the two differ is that this show has far more going for it than Riverdale ever did and an appeal that vastly goes beyond the teen girls that Cole Sprouse brought in, and is something everyone can enjoy. There is enough member berry goodness, with the returning Christina Ricci and the references to the now classic films that it can bring in old fans whilst also offering something new to bring in fresh crowds.

Tim Burton’s dark sensibilities are but to great use here and the tone for the series feels both very in keeping with his aesthetic whilst also appropriate for the source material. I think the best thing that Wednesday has going for it is its characters and the writing as a whole, the former being instantly memorable and easy to warm to and the latter feeling like a natural continuation that also is devilishly funny.

Overall, this is the sort of teen programming we deserve.

Pros.

Ortega

The characters

Ricci

The ending of the series and the similarities with Harry Potter

It is very funny

Cons.

It could have done with being a few episodes longer

4.5/5

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American Horror Story NYC: The Body

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The killer is finally tracked down.

When I realised that this episode was going to have the main characters find out who the killer is I was somewhat surprised as there is still a ways left to go in terms of the number of episodes still left in this season, however, despite finding out who the killer is this episode they don’t catch him really quite the opposite.

I liked the fact that the world keeps being broadened and new facets like this idea of the mob working within the gay community are being explored. I thought bringing back Henry, played by AHS veteran Denis O‘Hare, was a really smart move as this new angle gave him a lot more to do and he really shined in this episode as did Zachary Quinto’s Sam.

My one issue with the episode and also this mid part of the season more generally is that there seems to be some filler being placed in to pad things out. Like there is no need for this episode to stretch on in the way that it does, it is possible for them to find out who the killer is and have the show down in one episode it doesn’t need to be spread across two, but I suppose that is the curse of cable TV.

Overall, a good episode that really sets up an interesting conflict for the next episode.

Pros.

O’Hare

Quinto

The killer’s identity is finally revealed

The ending and the set up

Cons.

A little bit of padding for time

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Andor: Rix Road

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Things come to a head at the funeral of Maarva, played by Fiona Shaw.

In many senses this finale felt cathartic after all the build up of previous episodes as we do see some full scale signs of rebellion against the Empire, but I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed that more didn’t happen.

I think the main issue for me with this episode is that it lacked stakes, unlike other episodes that have perfectly encapsulated this idea of grit and that anyone can die at any time, this one felt very plot armour heavy as you knew none of the important characters were going to die and that is where the episode lost me.

I liked the ending of the episode wherein Cassian, played by Diego Luna, finally confronts Luthen, played by Stellan Skarsgard, and thought that it teased interesting things to come, but therein lies another issue with this show a lot of it is teasing things to come rather than delivering answers to big mysteries or giving us set pieces, which again is both a blessing and a curse.

Overall, a good season finale that would have been better if it had been bolder.

Pros.

The ending

The first signs of large scale rebellion

A good pace

It teases a lot of interesting directions for the next season

Cons.

There is a lot of plot armour going round and it effects the stakes of the show

It teases more than it delivers

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Andor: Daughter Of Ferrix

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Cassian, played by Diego Luna, experiences a loss and Mon Mothma, played by Genevieve O’Reilly, edges closer to marrying off her daughter in exchange for help moving her rebellion earmarked funds around.

This was probably the weakest episode of the show so far, nothing really happened and at best it was boring. The focus on Mon Mothma is really what hurt this episode as a lot of the early season promise the character had has been widely lost by now, and the character mainly exists to show awkward party scenes and scheming that never really seems to amount to anything.

The Luthen, played by Stellan Skarsgard, and Saw, played by Forest Whittaker storyline is slightly better and more interesting as we see the walls start to close in around Luthen to an extent and see him re-characterised in the context of shifting power dynamics.

Overall, a fairly boring episode wherein nothing of any note happens.

Pros.

Luthen is finally facing resistance from the Empire

It is watchable

Cons.

Nothing much happens

Mon Mothma is being wasted

It is boring

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American Horror Story NYC: Bad Fortune

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The killers gameplan is finally revealed and things take a turn for the supernatural.

I thought this was a very strong episode, I enjoyed the fortune telling scenes even if they were a bit silly and over the top. Moreover, I welcomed this season of the show more openly embracing the supernatural as for the most part this season has been relatively human focused.

I thought the Big Daddy fight scenes were well done, you never quite knew whether Patrick, played by Russell Tovey, was going to escape or whether he was going to die, they were tense scenes. Moreover, the death of Leslie Grossman’s character felt like it brought with it a new found sense of stakes for the season and her character really does drive the mystery forward.

Overall, another strong episode of this season with a very welcomed move towards the supernatural, I hope some of these mysteries will soon start to get tied up.

Pros.

Grossman

The ending

The veer towards the supernatural

The continued build of the mystery

Cons.

A little slow at times

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American Horror Story NYC: Blackout

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The mystery furthers.

I enjoyed that this episode continued to explore the killer and what he is trying to do, I think that if the show is to truly nail its landing this season then he will have to have one hell of an endgame to live up to all the hype the show has installed in him as the main villain.

However, but also good, the thing I am more interested in about this season that I think it is doing incredibly well is talking about the ever looming threat of AIDS, with the epidemic growing threateningly close over the horizon. I am curious to see how the show will address it, whether it will fully sink into conspiracy theory area or have it and the indifference many showed towards the victims be the real horror of the season, or maybe a bit of both.

Big Daddy continues to be a compelling supernatural villain who hopefully we won’t learn much more about so that some of the seasons mysteries can be left to the imagination.

Overall, another strong episode.

Pros.

The mystery

Teasing the past of the characters we think we know

The looming catastrophe on the horizon

Big Daddy continues to be a memorable villain

Cons.

It continues to be far too heavily eroticised

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The Rings Of Power A Rethink And A Changing Of Opinion

Written by Luke Barnes

I want to use this piece to talk about The Rings Of Power, now as some of you may know I reviewed the very first episode of this show and gave it a trashing, however, for one reason or another I decided to give the next few episodes a try and see if the show picked up and not only did it do that but I ended up really liking the show as a whole. In this piece I want to talk about my changed feelings about The Rings Of Power and also the ability to change opinions and have opinions evolve over time.

Many civilised people know that you can have an opinion on something one day and change it the next, however, there are some out there who call you a hypocrite for changing your opinion or for having a rethink of something in a renewed context. These people are silly and their criticism invalid.

Anyway, I had a strongly negative reaction to the first episode of the show, but I found almost all of my issues with the show were fixed entirely in the remainder of the season. The issues with cannon really weren’t as big as many made them out to be and in some case the issues were actually nonexistent, Galadriel, played by Morfydd Clarke, does think she is better than everyone but she is brought down a peg over the course of the season and humanised. Indeed Galadriel ends up being one of the best characters of the show and a lot of that is to do with Clarke’s performance.

Moreover, what the show does with its wider cast really brings the show together in a nice satisfying way, the finale pays off almost all of the mysteries of the season and gives each character their due. In this regard I particularly like the twist reveal of who Sauron is and how they end things with him.

I suppose the point of this piece is to say I was wrong, The Rings Of Power is a good show and you should check it out.

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House Of The Dragon: The Black Queen

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

War finally breaks out.

Sorry readers that summary is in some ways misleading, as you see therein lies my big issue with this finale. The whole season has set up this big war between the Blacks and the Greens, but do we get to see any of it? No, we don’t. In essence this whole episode is just yet more set up and filler.

I suppose you could claim the dragon battle counted as some action, but frankly after all the slow talking scenes and set up I was expecting far more action in the finale. I thought Rhaenyra’s order of no fighting until she gives the word was basically the writers way of saying let’s leave it all to next season as it allows for the episode to drag out the threat and prospect of war without actually delivering much of anything.

There are still some good scenes, including the dragon fight, as don’t get me wrong this isn’t a bad episode it is just sorely disappointing.

Overall, yet more teasing.

Pros.

Matt Smith’s performance

Showing the childbirth scene and pushing that boundary on screen

The dragon fight and what it sets up for the next season

Cons.

It is disappointing

The season long build up doesn’t lead to much of anything

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