Back in 2010, AMC’s flagship drama Mad Men was in the midst of its fourth season, tracing a trajectory of self-destruction for Don Draper while charting an upward course for his fledgling independent advertising firm. Just as things were beginning to pick up (for a show both admired and resented for its leisurely pace, “picking…
How to Get Away with Murder Season 5, Episode 8: “I Want to Love You Until the Day I Die” So now we know who died at the wedding. And, as far as big reveals go, this was a pretty satisfying one. HTGAWM has always used flashbacks and flash-forwards in a very creative way, and…
Doctor Who Season 11, Episode 6: “Demons of the Punjab” One of the things that makes the idea of time travel so appealing is our innate desire to learn about our ancestors. I’ve been told that I have a lot in common with my paternal grandfather, but he passed away when I was pretty young,…
“Young lady, you will stop this nonsense, go to the PTA meeting, and support your mother. I won’t hear another word about it!” In the middle of this week’s The Good Place, Michael assumes the demeanor of a surrogate father, pushing Eleanor to reconcile with her lost-then-found real mother. Though this is a rather overt…
How to Get Away with Murder Season 5, Episode 6: “We Can Find Him” I should have seen this one coming. The writers weren’t even subtle about it, but I got caught up in the plot and forgot the second basic rule of television and movie watching. The first rule, of course, is that, until…
When Mike Schur initially pitched The Good Place to NBC, the game-changing twist at the end of its first season was a part of the package. From the beginning, rug-pulling was a piece of this show’s DNA, a part of the trick that kept viewers on their feet. With each new twist between seasons one…
Doctor Who Season 11, Episode 4: “Arachnids in the UK” The word “home” can evoke many different images and feelings. For some of us, home is a happy and safe place that’s shared with those we love. For others, home may not be very pleasant. And then there are those poor souls who don’t even…
How to Get Away with Murder Season 5, Episode 5: “It Was the Worst Day of My Life” Being open and authentic with others can be difficult. It can be downright scary at times. In fact, most of us spend a great deal of time and energy making sure that people don’t see who we…
Now this is The Good Place we’ve been waiting for all season. The last three episodes were the version of the show that’s a reasonably good sitcom with exceptional performances and an over reliance on plot twists—essentially what Mike Schur used in the opening hours of season one to ease us into the strange, emotional…
Bob’s Burgers Season 9, Episode 4: “Nightmare on Ocean Avenue Street” Halloween episodes are a highlight of any Bob’s Burgers season, and this year’s installation is no exception. This year, the Belcher kids are going store-to-store instead of house-to-house as all the businesses on Bob’s street are participating in the first annual Ocean Avenue Candy…
By the end of the second hour of The Good Place season three, it seems like we’re finally about to dive into the meat of the story Mike Schur and Co. want to tell us, one that will hopefully take us away from Earth for a while. However, to get to the interdimensional portal the…
Doctor Who Season 11, Episode 2: “The Ghost Monument” The Doctor always (well, almost always) tries to do the right thing. She has a good heart (actually, she has two of them), and she genuinely cares about people and other various life forms she comes in contact with. But can she really be trusted? That’s…
How to Get Away with Murder Season 5, Episode 3: “The Baby Was Never Dead” asks some difficult questions – is it okay to break the rules to help someone else? What about just to help yourself? Tonight’s episode is about ethics. Contrary to public opinion, lawyers are, in general, a pretty ethical bunch. We have to…
“Here’s the story of a blond-haired lady / Who was helping save three hell-bound characters.” Several times in “The Brainy Bunch,” we hear Trevor make the same foreboding declaration: “Eleanor is the reason this is all happening.” Funnily enough, though this statement reminds us of Eleanor’s essential role as leader of the group, it comes…
Better Call Saul Season 4, Episode 10: “Winner” Nothing you can say or do will make anyone trust you again. This is actually Mike’s message to Werner after the failed escape attempt (which we’ll get to in a second). But it could also serve as a thesis statement, not just for tonight’s episode, but for…