A review of “Truth,” this week’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, coming up just as soon as I’m right-handed… “Truth” opens with a fight scene that has felt inevitable since the end of the first episode, as our title characters go after the off-brand Captain America to reclaim the …
Read More »'WandaVision' Recap: Behind the Screens
A review of this week’s WandaVision, “We Interrupt This Program,” coming up just as soon as I get the commemorative T-shirt… As its title(*) suggests, “We Interrupt This Program” takes a break from the weekly sitcom pastiche WandaVision has offered so far. We get glimpses of events from the first …
Read More »'The Mandalorian' Recap: The Bounty Hunter Strikes Back
A review of this week’s The Mandalorian, “The Tragedy,” coming up just as soon as we travel with the windows down… There’s a famous line from the end of the classic John Ford film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, where a newspaper editor responds to hearing the honest account …
Read More »'His Dark Materials' Recap: Have Bear, Will Travel
Lyra Belacqua may be just a kid, but she knows people. And polar bears. In this pivotal episode of His Dark Materials (titled “Armour” for reasons that soon become apparent), Lyra and her army of Gyptians arrive at the remote Northern village of Trollesund. It’s like a snowy version of …
Read More »Chance the Rapper on 'SNL': 3 Sketches You Have to See
If Saturday Night Live episodes were named like installments of Friends, this episode would be called “The One With the Giggles.” With Chance the Rapper the biggest offender, everyone had a hard time keeping it together for the majority of the episode. That laughter was part of an overall shaggy …
Read More »'The Deuce' Recap: Just When I Thought I Was Out
A review of this week’s The Deuce, “They Can Never Go Home,” coming up just as soon as I charge you one wig for half of my pie… The title phrase of “They Can Never Go Home” comes up quickly, a warning Mike gives to Reg as they and Vince …
Read More »'Better Things' Recap: Cold Readings
A review of “The Unknown,” this week’s Better Things, coming up just as soon as I show you a copy of the Fiddler on the Roof cast album… For Season Three, Better Things dropped its original opening credits sequence scored to John Lennon’s “Mother,” opting for a shorter one where …
Read More »Bill Hader on 'SNL': 3 Sketches You Have to See
Each episode of Saturday Night Live is its own beast, complete with its own rhythms. There’s zero predictability about what will unfold, which is precisely of the point of its inherent architecture. On paper, having Bill Hader return to Studio 8H to host should have been a slam dunk. Instead, …
Read More »Jessica Chastain on 'SNL': 3 Sketches You Have to See
The introductions to these Saturday Night Live recaps have gotten somewhat stale lately: I talk about the show’s inconsistencies, note that there are some highlights nonetheless, and then get into the meat of things. This time around, let’s look at five things that are really working this season as a …
Read More »'The Walking Dead' Recap: Damaged Goods
Here’s some good news: After abusing AMC’s “Go ahead make the episode as long as you want” privilege last year, The Walking Dead‘s been refreshingly concise so far this season. The premiere sprawled just a little bit past its hourlong time-slot, but the past two episodes have ended right on …
Read More »