What did you miss? For a review of the last episode, click HERE

from EW.com: https://ew.com/tv/recaps/outlander-season-6-episode-5/#:~:text=Roger%20goes%20home%2C%20tells%20Brianna,of%20telling%20Roger%20she's%20pregnant.

Outlander S6 Ep 5: Give Me Liberty

By Lincee RayApril 03, 2022 at 10:00 PM EDT

Thank you, Outlander showrunners, for recreating the infamous moment when Bonnie Prince Charlie disguises himself as a maid, hops on a ship, and escapes Scotland after the uprising. Obviously, this flashback is the vehicle with which viewers are introduced to the equally notorious Flora MacDonald, but hearing a distraught Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Andrew Gower) complain about a scratchy bonnet and heavy petticoats was a giddy breath of fresh air.

We find Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) in Wilmington, North Carolina, anticipating an event celebrating Flora MacDonald. Claire recalls seeing biscuit tins in her timeline, featuring both the Bonnie Prince and Flora in a spirit of Scottish rebelliousness. Yet today, Flora will be speaking on behalf of the crown, promoting peace. Is it odd that a former Jacobite is so eager to join the loyalist cause?

Jamie understands the push and pull of the movement. An audience of loyal British subjects has much to lose and very little to gain. They've fought for a dream before, and they lost. They have sworn an oath to the crown. If Jamie didn't have Claire's knowledge of the future, he'd be right there with them.

Not only is Jamie looking forward to the event, but he's also been invited to "raise a glass" to King George III with Cornelius Harnett, who everyone knows is associated with the Sons of Liberty. When Jamie meets him for a drink at the local tavern, Cornelius invites him to a meeting the next night, knowing his association with Jamie could be considered questionable, thanks to his friendships with government officials. Jamie assures Cornelius that he is following his conscious. He's not following "a side."

Back at Fraser's Ridge, Roger (Richard Rankin) continues to help the widow Amy McCallum (Joanne Thomson) and her son Aiden. Brianna (Sophie Skelton) roams the countryside with Marsali (Lauren Lyle), Malva (Jessica Reynolds), and Lizzie (Caitlin O'Ryan), trying to figure out a place to install a water wheel. Brianna's passion is evident — indoor plumbing. Praise hands for that invention, am I right?

The women stumble across a burned spot in the ground, with flat stones, dried seaweed, and bones of human fingers that make a small teepee. Marsali immediately recognizes it as a love charm, and I laugh. I absolutely love that she knows this bit of information and have every confidence that Marsali would be on every dating app if she lived in modern-day North Carolina.

Because she's a lady, she implies that one of the "fisher-folk" probably conjured up this spell. No one remembers that Malva is one of those fisher-folk because Lizzie falls ill and is taken back to the house to treat her malaria symptoms.

However, might I point out that Malva is indeed the guilty fisher-folk. We see her later creep into the dingy tent of a dead man to cut off a few of his digits. Yes, it was gross, and yes, I was right when I predicted that there was something up with Malva. But is she only trying to find love? Or is this heavier? And are we supposed to know the dead man in the bed with flies buzzing around?

Meanwhile, Jamie and Claire are delighted to see Lord John (David Berry), and Jamie is physically pained when his friend drones on and on about the wonder that is William. Apparently, Jamie's son is tall, well-educated, and a whiz at chess. Jamie interrupts John to pick a bone with his Aunt Jocasta (Maria Doyle Kennedy). Jamie is furious that she has enticed Fergus (Romann Berrux) with a print shop in New Bern. And now he and Marsali are moving off the Ridge.

What is happening? Did I miss something?

Not technically. Fergus visited Jocasta and spilled the beans. As a result, Jocasta anticipates that the move will help Fergus' state of mind, since he loved working with Jamie before as a printer. Additionally, she thinks baby Christian will have a safer life off Fraser's Ridge, away from young boys who want to see if he drowns in the river.

Touché.

Flora MacDonald joins the crowd, and we learn that she knew Jamie once upon a time when they were younger. Then Flora sings Claire's praises for performing an operation in the foyer of a theater that one time. She's famous! When Jacosta feels faint, Claire and Flora take her outside to a gazebo, where Claire gives her some medicine for her glaucoma. She also offers Flora something for her nerves. Public speaking struggles are real.

Flora reminisces about the Bonnie Prince and confesses she never aligned with him politically. She fears her name will forever be associated with him. Instead of ripping the Band-Aid, letting Flora in on the biscuit tin craze in the future, Claire toasts Flora's efforts. This leads to Flora toasting Claire, including her efforts in Versailles. Claire flashes back to sleeping with the king, and by the end of the conversation, she is reaching for her ether again to blackout for a moment.

This is me worried, officially, about Claire.

She returns while Flora is mid-speech, imploring her audience to understand the threat of division that stands before them. Peace and unity are at stake. They must remain united.

The audience applauds Flora's passion. Lord John leads Jamie away to inquire about his intentions, cautioning his friend that there have been rumors he is involved with the Sons of Liberty. The crown has eyes everywhere.

Jamie lies to John, assuring him that he will not be at the meeting the next night. Suddenly, Aunt Jocasta's maid Mary runs up, begging for Lord John's help in town. They find a mob in front of a man named Mr. Simms' print shop, ready to tar and feather him for releasing a pamphlet that honors the Scottish heroine Flora. Mr. Simms explains that Aunt Jocasta is the one who ordered the print job. Jamie and John defend Mr. Simms as the red coats break up the crowd.

People in the tavern gawk as Jamie interrogates his aunt, accusing her of purchasing a shop for Fergus to print propaganda. He threatens Jocasta, warning her that his son will not be hanged for treason or tarred and feathered over her political views. Jocasta leaves the table, and Mary steps in to offer some information. Jocasta is unwell. She is fitful in her sleep, speaking about her daughter and french gold. But Jamie knows the truth. Jocasta has a broken heart due to Murtagh's death. Don't we all?

Speaking of lost love, Brianna is ready for Roger to stop hanging out with Amy. People may see a married man hanging out with a single woman from the outside looking in, and that's not okay. She's a lonely widow who needs a single man.

Roger is annoyed by this accusation at first. Then he discovers Malva in the church getting it on with some random guy and his tune changes. Malva's stupidity dumbfounds Roger. Her dad and brother are right outside! Malva threatens to tell the entire camp that Roger is having an affair with Amy if he dares open his mouth.

Malva is deeply disturbed. Also, is this the guy for which the love charm was cast? I'd have thought Ian would be the recipient of a potion with such gruesome ingredients.

Roger goes home, tells Brianna that he found another man to help Amy with her cabin, and apologizes for not seeing what was right in front of him. All he wants is to care for and spend time with his family of three.

Correction, a family of four. That's Brianna's way of telling Roger she's pregnant.

Jamie is going to be a grandfather again! He will be so happy, but in the meantime, he must confess to Lord John that he is going to be at the Sons of Liberty meeting. John is devastated that the rumors are true. He's scared for his friend, mainly because a band of redcoat soldiers knows about the meeting and will arrest people who participate.

Jamie could lose his life. Or he could gain his freedom. He invites John to join him, but John will not. He will delay those soldiers for as long as he can.

When Jamie arrives at the tavern, Cornelius barks out that he is no longer welcome. Why? Because he helped Mr. Simms fend off the tar and feather mob. Jamie is outraged. How exactly are these jokers defining liberty? What about common decency? PS: There are a dozen redcoat soldiers on their way to arrest everyone. Can you trust him now?

Half the men leave, and the other half hastily set up a game of billiards. Cornelius and Jamie put on the act of their lives, insisting the redcoats join them. Academy Awards all around!

The next day, Claire is eager to leave Wilmington. As Jamie steps into the wagon, she hears a familiar tune known as the "Colonel Bogey March," written in 1914. We later see a man in prison who holds an emerald gem in the palm of his hand. The same one that was stolen from Flora MacDonald the previous day. I'm going out on a very short limb here to guess that this man is the same one who asked her about Ringo Starr in the season 5 finale.

The question remains, what is his deal? There has to be more than him needing help to get back to his current timeline. Surely Claire is a crucial component in his plan, right?

Black Sails S3 Ep 8

What did you miss? For a review of the last episode, click HERE

from Den of Geek: https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/black-sails-xxvi-review/
Black Sails: XXVI Review

By TS Rhodes|March 13, 2016|

So it looks like we’re going to pretend last week’s episode of Black Sails didn’t happen.

Yes, we start out with more talking, but this week at least the pirates have something to say. I found the opening conversation between Flint and Vane to be very enlightening. And, probably, true to the time period.

The distinction between rich and poor in 1716 was absolute. A man who lived his life as Vane has lived his life would probably never have been in a place as “normal” as Miranda’s house. A dinner table with china place settings, silverware, and an effort to make the whole attractive would be something he lived his whole life without seeing.

Vane taps the keys of Miranda’s harpsicord. He’s probably never heard that sound before. Remember there is no TV, no photographs. The only way to see or hear these things is to be in the same room with them. People like Vane didn’t get into upper-class living rooms. I like Vane’s positon on the small luxuries represented by Miranda’s house. Yes, this way of life is a trap, at least for men like Vane. Flint was caught years ago.

I could believe that the Black Sails crew wouldn’t be found, but damn it’s annoying when Billy Bones comes in. This is a neighborhood where no one new has moved in for perhaps a decade. You bet Billy Bones was noticed. (Not plot important, but still…)

And why is it that Jack Rackham’s conversation with a rat is more interesting than any of the conversations last week? Difficult, but true.

Once again, it’s the stories that aren’t told that are the important ones. The lack of a story about Anne attacking Roger’s guards tells the pirates all that they need to know about the plans that are afoot. Roger’s men are too new to the island to realize what this means. They are also too new to Nassau society to know whom Max and Eleanor “are.” Their loss.

At this point, the New World itself is conspiring against Woods Rogers and his men. They don’t know the players, and they don’t know the field. New World sickness is stalking them. (Including Rogers, but thank god this time we don’t get clubbed over the head with it.)

I also like Jack Rackham’s statement about how he became a pirate. Jack’s definitely got a pair of pirate balls now. But he’s also got the brains and background to argue with Rogers at Rogers’ own level.

Historical fact – the rise in piracy in the Caribbean was a direct result of a crash in the wages of working-class folks, while the rich suddenly got richer. Jack’s story would have been a standard one, just as Vane’s story—a life of hard labor, relieved only by drink and a few pleasant hours in the bed of a whore was the common reason—is why the men became pirates.

Silver’s story feels like it was dreamed up just to give Silver something to do. But I don’t mind. This kind of problem in integrating two groups is very believable. It also gives Eme a place to shine. Eme is good – historically believable, well played, and strong. This is where Silver gets a look at royalty. Eme was raised to be a queen, and she acts like one.

The solution to the problem is good Black Sails tradition. Things just slide sideways, but with a twist at the end. They aren’t backing off the slavery card, either. Nobody comes to Nassau baggage-free, and the Maroons are no exception.

This is what makes this show good. Black Sails talks about real conflict, not made-up conflict. Rogers complains to Rackham that the pirates don’t accept the world as it is. But we see, regularly, how open-eyed the pirates really are. Vane understands how the dream of a house (small luxuries, but luxuries a man like him had never seen) is a trap, luring men from dignity and freedom.

Rackham grasps the economic situation that makes it so easy for the working class to lose everything, and how impossible it is to get it back. Eme knows that every one of her people needs to win an individual fight against the past, when they were enslaved by white men and became non-persons. Because she speaks vividly, we see the size of this struggle. It remains a struggle today.

This episode’s set piece, the battle over Roger’s carriage, is just what we’ve been looking for. I realize that it’s a TV show, and the budget gets eaten up by these things. But damn it was good. Kudos for the carriage crash. (And extra credit because the carriage didn’t blow up for absolutely no reason.)

We got lovely dialogue between Vane and Rackham in this episode. And believable action. It makes a huge difference when people talk if they are doing something relevant to the plot.

But multiple riders just leaving the scene is Flint’s hallmark: Stupidity. It’s no use at all to take a target if you can’ hold it. As everyone else has said to eloquently, it’s all or nothing. So what does Flint do? He exits the scene before Rackham is secured. A real rookie move, by a character who couldn’t organize a trick-of-treat expedition, let alone a pirate raid.

Thank goodness Billy Bones talks some sense into him. When we found out that Bones is a political pirate, a literate man who was essentially enslaved because his family disagreed with the status quo, he became just the person to sway public opinion. Flint didn’t see this of course, but Billy was kind enough to point it out.

And the end… We end with Eleanor and Vane looking at each other. So much of Black Sails has been driven by the simple fact that Vane, toughest of the tough, has a soft spot for the upper-class blond girl he’s been screwing. In fact, it’s more the heart of the show than Flint’s absurd machinations. And it comes down to this… Vane, in chains, and Eleanor just barely free and in love with his captor. What happens next? This time we really want to know.

 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt 1

from wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games:_Mockingjay_%E2%80%93_Part_1

After being rescued from the destroyed arena in the 75th Hunger Games, tributes Katniss Everdeen, Beetee, and Finnick Odair are taken to District 13, a below-ground district isolated from Panem that has been spearheading the rebellion. Katniss is reunited with her mother and sister Prim and is introduced to President Alma Coin, the rebel leader. Katniss is told that her arrow destroying the forcefield led to riots in over half the districts, joining District 13 in the rebellion, which caused Snow to bomb District 12 in retaliation. Coin asks her to become the "Mockingjay"—a symbol of the rebellion—as part of a "hearts and minds" strategy. Katniss reluctantly agrees after seeing Peeta being manipulated on state television to quell the rebellion. She visits the ruins of District 12, her old house somehow untouched with white roses from President Snow inside.

Katniss meets her film team and is given Effie Trinket as a stylist and close friend, Gale, as a bodyguard. They go to District 8 where Katniss is filmed being saluted by dozens of wounded civilians at a hospital; Snow, seeing the footage, orders an airstrike at the hospital, killing everyone inside. The crew films Katniss and Gale shooting down two Capitol hovercraft and Katniss' rage-filled threat: "If we burn, you burn with us." Afterwards, loggers in District 7 revolt, shouting the same phrase and killing Peacekeepers by detonating land mines.

Katniss and her team travel to District 12. Katniss is filmed singing "The Hanging Tree." Hundreds of protesters in District 5, singing the same anthem, launch a suicidal human wave attack against a hydroelectric dam that is the Capitol's primary source of electricity. The attack successfully implodes and breaches the dam, causing a blackout that forces the Capitol to revert to secondary generators. That night, Katniss watches Peeta being interviewed by Caesar Flickerman, the Games' former presenter, when Coin and Beetee hijack the signal to air a clip of Katniss. After seeing it, Peeta suddenly shouts a warning that the Capitol is about to attack District 13. Coin orders a mass evacuation into deep, underground shelters, and the facility survives the attack. Upon emerging, Katniss discovers the area littered with white roses; she concludes that Snow orchestrated this to inform her that whenever she condemns the Capitol, they’ll torture Peeta in retaliation.

Coin dispatches an elite special-forces team to rescue Peeta and remaining victors Johanna Mason, Enobaria, and Annie Cresta from their prison. Beetee hijacks the Capitol's defense system with a "propo" narrated by Finnick to convince more districts to side with the rebellion; when this proves not to be enough, Katniss communicates directly with Snow as a further distraction to buy enough time. Gale's team rescues the victors and escapes the Capitol easily, indicating the Capitol reduced its security on purpose. When Katniss greets Peeta, he unexpectedly attacks and strangles her into unconsciousness before being knocked out by Boggs.

Katniss wakes up and is informed that Peeta has been "hijacked"—brainwashed into trying to kill her, which explains why the Capitol allowed them to escape with him. Peeta is placed in solitary confinement, while a serum is developed to reverse the hijacking effects.

Coin announces that the rebels' next objective is the Capitol's principal military stronghold in District 2—now the only district remaining loyal to the Capitol.

Evil S2 Ep 4: E is for Elevator

What did you miss? For a review of the last episode, click HERE

from Den of Geek: https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/evil-season-2-episode-4-review-e-is-for-elevator/

By Tony Sokol|July 11, 2021

Evil season 2, episode 4, “E Is for Elevator,” stops between floors to squeeze in an urban legend. The team is called in on a job outside their scope, an internet game. It has no demonic ties except for a pentagram drawn on the floor of a player. With that as the only spiritual tie, David Acosta (Mike Colter) goes off to contemplate the mysteries of his superiors’ faith in Leland Townshend (Michael Emerson), while Dr. Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers) and Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi) go pushing buttons.

The family who calls in the team admits there is no satanic connection, but the police have already written them off, and tagged their son a runaway. The whole thing would have been passed on if it weren’t for the game. This gives the episode a pass for an all-ages admission, and lets the children play. “E Is for Elevator” is probably the most intrusive Kristen’s kids have been since Ben got the name “Magnificent.” They actually con their way on the job site and try to take the maiden voyage on the elevator ride to hell. The option is to leave them with a very creepy looking concierge, but that’s mainly played for laughs.

The most important rule of the Elevator Game is if you don’t finish it, you will be haunted by the ghosts of all the people who died in that building. And the building has quite a history with dead people. The Anselina, the only structure in the area which has enough stories to play the game, has its own stop on a local ghost tour. According to the guide, a young woman was cut in half on the elevator. She got stuck in the doors after her dog got out. Residents still hear her crawling down the halls. They call her the “teka teka girl” because that’s the sound her fingernails make as she crawls across the floor. Once the tour guide plants this in Ben’s head, he infects Kristen who starts hearing “teka teka” wherever she goes.

Sure, they fudge a few things. Everyone knows there are no 13th floors in buildings. Superstitious building architects conspired with the Knights Templar to cut construction costs millennia ago. But even with the subjective shortcuts, we don’t get the shaft. The sequence where Kristen gets stuck, alone, in the elevator is viscerally frightening. Not because of the half torso woman crawling across the floor, but for simple mechanics. It’s tightly framed within a limited point of view, which makes it both claustrophobic, and peripherally perilous. We know Kristen won’t get cut in half, but there’s a part of us that has wanted it since the tour guide painted such a vivid picture of it in our minds. While Kristen later blames her prescriptions, the scene also subliminally mirrors what happened at the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles, when Elisa Lam hid from unseen hazards.

David’s main antagonist for the week is all too visible. Leland is having the time of his life making a mockery of the religious rites. He’s paying for it, so the church goes along. It is slightly unnerving how David can openly express his disapproval of the supplicant to his superiors, only to have them repeatedly ignore him. His teammates have spoken out against Leland. Sister Andrea (Andrea Martin) almost asks David to hold her habit so she can kick the possessed poseur’s ass, but still the clergy accommodates Leland’s every whim. You can almost envision them holding their hands over their ears while chanting “I don’t hear you.” Something must be going on here which is clouded by the comedy. The series hasn’t made any overt references, but the church has to be in bed with the devil they know.

Leland’s passive aggressive race baiting is grating, so much so the audience might feel an inner cheer when David punches the local activist Logan later in the episode. Leland’s poisoning has that much of a ripple effect. It’s worse when the diversity-hire comments are echoed by the church officials, and fellow ecclesiastical students. The temptations are expertly hidden in the episode. Kevin, a fourth-year clerical student who notices David hardly ever shows up to class, says the star supernatural assessor is “being groomed to be the great Black hope of the Catholic Church.” David is later tempted by another, possibly more inclusive, faith.

It is a shame the audience doesn’t get to hear David’s homily in full. The priest-in-training has a high regard for his worth to the church. His superiors may think he’s being egotistical, but he honestly has a selfless motive behind the seeming braggadocio. Ben, on the other hand, “never stops feeling like an idiot on this job.” And his is the most interesting arc of the installment. He calls in a friend, who could have been more than a friend, to understand the finer points of the Elevator game. The game itself is a major plus for the series. It is perennially timely, and universally frightening. No one wants to get stuck in an elevator.

Ben’s almost-ultimate fate is almost equally universal. Those cheesy bugs are pretty creepy, admittedly, but they are sold by Ben’s reaction. The realization of their presence leaks into his eyes. It’s a slow ride before he registers shock and revulsion. He is actually expecting the woman to be alive when he turns her over. He is more disappointed than startled at his initial discovery, which suits the character. He’s grounded and, yet, expectant. He wants things to turn out right. Ben’s ambiguous acceptance of his personal demoness is also well played tonight. She is his Jiminy Cricket in reverse, and as he descends into sentimentality, she cuts his treacle down to the stump.

“E Is for Elevator” is a fun episode which really is appropriate for all ages, or at least will appeal to their actual interests. The urban legend keeps it contemporary, the social content makes it timeless, and the off-kilter approach keeps it lively. Evil also continues to leave some of the more paranormal ambiguities uncertain.

Euphoria S2 Ep 6: A Thousand Little Trees of Blood

What did you miss? For a review of the last episode, click HERE

Euphoria S2 Ep 6:
A Thousand Little Trees of Blood

from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2022/02/15/euphoria-season-2-episode-6-recap-mother-knows-best/?sh=46c30bb84a6e

Dani Di Placido
Feb 15, 2022,09:23am EST


After last week’s deep dive into Rue’s addiction, this episode gives us a meaty chunk of plot, split between several of the characters, some of whom have been a little underserved this season.

“A Thousand Little Trees of Blood” sees the moms of Euphoria shine, dispensing some life advice and tough love, as well as offering a glimpse into the home lives of these characters.

First, we watch Rue wallow in despair, coming down hard, to the point where she struggles to open a single candy by herself. Rue is a jittery mess, dripping with tears and mucus, but she's really committed to getting clean - again.

Her family has already seen her worst self, and that memory will never fade - the best Rue can do is make sure it stays a memory. Wracked with guilt, Rue feels particularly bad about what she said to Ali - as she says, reducing someone to their worst moment is the stuff of cops. So she gives him a call, and all is forgiven.

Ali drops by to give the family some normality, reassurance, even a little laughter, and pays attention to Gia, silently suffering in the shadow of Rue’s addiction. Ali validates Gia’s rage, confirming that she is correct, or at least justified, not to believe Rue’s latest promise to sober up; well-intentioned or not, it’s still just another promise.

Maddy and Cassie remain fractured by the fallout of Rue’s big reveal, with Maddy venting her psychotic revenge fantasies to an amusingly sympathetic Kat, while Cassie spends the entire episode having a full-blown tantrum, trying desperately to convince her family that she isn’t a bad friend. Thankfully, her mom doesn’t even pretend to buy it.

Instead of catering to Cassie’s crocodile tears (and awkward attempt to cut herself with a corkscrew), Lexi and Fez decide to watch Stand By Me - always a good decision. As the movie ends, the two hold hands, for the very first time; their slow-burning romance proves surprisingly sweet, especially in contrast to the insane sex lives of their peers. Although, as we later find out through Faye, the cops are circling in on Fez, for Mouse’s murder; Ash’s spontaneous acts of extreme violence are starting to spark serious consequences.

Nate is still basking in the glow of his victory over Cal, who has left the family to pursue his sexapades; Ash, it seems, hit Cal hard enough to come out of the closet. This proves to be a Nate-centric episode, which are always the best; the guy is coldly calculating, yet wildly unpredictable.

The second he looks at his phone, Nate knows exactly what happened yesterday, because Cassie has been frantically calling every second she can, while Maddy hasn’t contacted him at all. He knows it’s over between him and Maddy, so Nate drowns his sorrows with his mother, Marsha.

We rarely spend much time with Marsha in the show, but the scene proves pretty revealing, as the two immediately bond over their shared dislike of Cal, but it doesn’t take much playful prodding from her to spark Nate’s temper, which is always swimming under the surface, ready to emerge at the slightest provocation.

Nate doesn’t like to acknowledge this aspect of himself, and he despises it when others do, but Marsha (as we saw in Cal’s flashbacks) is a pretty frank person who enjoys pushing boundaries. She casually reminds Nate that he choked Maddy - which didn't bother Marsha at all - but the mere mention of this infuriates Nate, who reiterates that the charges were dropped, as though the law aligns with reality itself. For Nate and Cal, reputation is everything.

Marsha goes on to accuse Nate of inheriting all the worst traits from his father, and even speculates on what went wrong, pinpointing the moment he “darkened” at around nine years old. We know that’s the moment when Nate first found his dad’s meticulously organized collection of sex tapes, but I’m not sure that explains Nate’s issues - it is implied that Cal was violent with Nate, at the very least.

Nate’s parents seem to be frightened of their own son, and for good reason; upon understanding that he and Maddy’s relationship is over, Nate goes straight for his dad’s gun, seeking to retrieve the sex tape from Maddy. At this time, Maddy is in the pool with Samantha, who seems to have a bit of an infatuation for the teenager, or at least an interest.

But she emphasizes with Maddy and explains that she was once the treacherous cheater too, back in her day; important words of wisdom, especially coming from Maddy’s role model, and ideally, Maddy would redirect her anger away from Cassie and towards Nate. Of course, that might prove dangerous, seeing as the boy managed to sneak into her room with a pistol.

Nate threatens Maddy, in his casual, understated way, before realizing that he’ll get better results if he turns the pistol on himself. What follows is a remarkably disturbing scene, completely absent of violence - it’s all implication. Nate pretends to play Russian Roulette, pulling the trigger over and over until Maddy screams the location of the disc; Nate has tortured Maddy without laying a finger on her.

Of course, he never had a bullet in the gun (Nate would never risk his own life like that, although he’s crazy enough to leave the possibility open, I guess). It seems as though Nate deliberately intended to leave a mental scar, so deep that Maddy might never want to discuss this incident again. The existence of the tape must be kept a secret, to preserve the value of Cal’s business, which Nate believes he will inherit.

Nate, however, remains an intriguingly unpredictable villain, as his next move is not to destroy the disc, but to simply … hand it to Jules. This doesn’t appear to be a calculated move at all - Jules could do anything with that recording - but Nate seems to believe that it’s the “right” thing to do. The oddly intimate relationship between him and Jules is one of the most intriguing of the show. We’re never shown why Jules means so much to him, or what they talked about when he took the time to catfish her - it’s Nate’s big secret, and all evidence points to his feelings for her being sincere.

It’s hard not to come to the conclusion that every single problem in the Jacobs household can be traced back to the fact that the men in the family aren’t comfortable acknowledging the complications of their sexuality - that intense repression has distorted their entire lives, and the lives of everyone they encounter.

In hindsight, it was pretty amusing that Marsha was so concerned that Maddy would get pregnant out of spite, seeing as Marsha did something similar to Cal, all those years ago.

Kat also appears in a scene, after several episodes spent hiding in the background. She and Ethan are out on a date, and she finally breaks up with him, in the most cowardly way possible. Kat lies, unconvincingly, about having a terminal illness, then becomes annoyed when Ethan doesn’t believe her. Kat sputters out misguided justifications for their breakup, peppered with social justice buzzwords, in a desperate attempt to look like the bigger person - it doesn’t work, but at least she’s single now.

The episode ends with Rue and Gia snuggling up in bed together, Gia’s silent suffering acknowledged by Ali, allowing her to show some affection for her sister again. But we can’t have Rue head to rehab right now, not while Laurie is looking for her - it would be a little too convenient, plot-wise, to whisk Rue to safety.

Hence, Rue’s mother can’t secure a place for her daughter in rehab, which makes sense - the crumbling healthcare system, held together with duct tape and string, isn’t there for Rue. All she has is her family, which is a lot. But will it be enough against Laurie?

This was a great episode, one of the strongest of the season thus far, showing Nate’s depravity and vulnerability. Plus, it was nice to see the moms spend some time in the spotlight, to show how parenting should (or shouldn’t) be accomplished.

Star Trek: Picard S2 Ep 1:
The Star Gazer

What did you miss? For a review of the last episode, click HERE

from Den of Geek: https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/star-trek-picard-season-2-episode-1-review-the-star-gazer/

By Lacy Baugher

March 3, 2022|

For all the bluster and bleakness of its initial trailers and promos surrounding the Star Trek: Picard Season 2 premiere, the actual episode itself is a fairly low-key return for the show. To be clear: “The Star Gazer” is largely excellent, offering us rich and rewarding character moments and the return of several old faces from our collective Star Trek: The Next Generation days, even as it sets up what are ostensibly the main arcs of the season. But it does very much take its time getting going, and if you were waiting on the edge of your seat for things the Season 2 trailers promised (what appears to be time travel, the return of John de Lancie’s famous badass god-being Q), well, you were waiting a while.

Instead, “The Star Gazer” is an episode that looks inward before it ever begins to plot outward, and Picard as a whole remains a show that is much more concerned with themes and ideas than it is specific story beats or narrative explanations. (This isn’t a bad thing, by any stretch, but having this show and Star Trek: Discovery on at the same time is definitely something of a study in contrasts.) For example, the multiple meanings of the episode’s title—which references Picard’s childhood longing to go to the stars, his first Starfleet command, and the ship Rios captains now—works great thematically throughout the hour, and there’s a certain sense that Picard’s arc will follow a similar pattern of looking backward and forward at the same time.

There’s a certain Shakespearean aspect to the Picard character we meet in the Season 2 premiere, a man who—though Picard itself almost plays down many of the biggest game-changing elements from the Season 1 finale—doesn’t know quite who this new version of himself is. The idea that becoming a synth has changed him in some significant way is implied but never directly stated, and if, for whatever reason, you only started watching this show at this particular moment, you might not even catch that there’s anything, well, let’s just say not entirely human about him. (To be fair, the show was incredibly vague about how that would all play out anyway. But still.)

Admittedly, I’m not entirely sure that I buy the idea that Picard has spent his life so obsessed with the allure of exploring the stars that he’s closed off his heart to love and emotional connection. Even if you ignore his handful of Next Generation flings or the literal years of shared sexual tension with Beverly Crusher, there are still many other multiple worthwhile kinds of love and intimacy that matter just as much as romance or sexual attraction. So the idea that Picard’s life has somehow been an empty one because he doesn’t have a wife or girlfriend in it when he was surrounded by so many of these other kinds of deeply important connections is…well, let’s just say not entirely something I agree with.

But, thankfully, Patrick Stewart can honestly sell me anything, and if he wants me to believe that Jean-Luc Picard is having some sort of existential romantic crisis because reasons, well, I guess I’m here for it. Plus, I 100% support the idea that even though he is pushing 100 years old at this point, people everywhere just still want to mack on Picard. (Even Lahris the apparently recently widowed Romulan who wants to honor her dead husband Zhaban by romancing her boss/business partner/however this whole Chateau Picard situation works.) And the idea that he still deals with these sorts of problems by heading to a bar to get drunk with Guinan. For what it’s worth, Whoopi Goldberg’s return is pitch-perfect, and if this whole episode had just been the two of them getting sloppy and gossiping that would have been totally fine.

Of course, the Picard premiere has bigger issues to wrestle with than the question of Jean-Luc’s love life and subsequent mental state. After a rapid-fire catch up with our La Sirena faves—Raffi and Seven of Nine’s relationship is still very firmly in the “it’s complicated” category, Dahj is some sort of synth diplomat, Elnor (still hot) is joining Starfleet, and Rios is a captain in his own right—everyone is suddenly brought together thanks to the appearance of a strange space anomaly (very different from the one wreaking havoc over on Discovery, thank goodness.) This is caused by something that can apparently rip holes in the very fabric of space-time and between the incredibly advanced technology and the very obvious bright green glow, I truly have no idea how it took everybody so long to figure out the Borg were involved.

Many of the best moments of Picard Season 1 were centered around the Borg in some way—Picard’s still-lingering trauma from his assimilation, Seven’s struggle to make a life for herself outside of the shadow of her Borg status, the Artifact that Hugh and his team excavating—so the fact that so much of this season feels like it will also involve the Borg is very exciting. Particularly because “The Star Gazer” is already asking the best kinds of Star Trek questions: At what point, if any, do these beings that I have long considered my worst enemies deserve a second chance?

After all, Klingons and Romulans now both play a key role in the world of the Federation and Starfleet, and both were once humanity’s deadliest adversaries. Of course, this is the Borg we’re talking about, and the idea that this species, who have done such harm to characters we care so deeply about, could ever be part of the Federation is on its face fairly repulsive. But…isn’t that exactly the kind of lesson Picard the man and Picard the show have repeatedly asked us to wrestle with? Plus, the fact that the (admittedly extremely awesome looking) faceless Borg Queen manages to drop Picard’s lifelong “look up” mantra just before the Stargazer blows up is certainly a hint that something bigger than we understand is going on.

Which, of course, brings us to the Q of it all. Look, John de Lancie’s return is everything we could have possibly wanted it to be in the scant minutes of screentime we’re given this week. He is basically the very definition of “still got it”. And truly, the nod to the fact that we’re all a bit older now and therefore even the immortal Q needed to be aged up a little bit to “match” his nemesis Picard was absolutely perfect.

Given the changes at Chateau Picard during the episode’s final moments, it’s clear that we’re in some sort of alternate timeline or alternate universe, but what exactly has happened, why Q has chosen this moment to involve himself in his old nemesis’ life (or death, depending on how you view the Stargazer’s explosion) or what Picard’s meant to do in this legitimately alien new world are all unclear. But I can’t wait to find out some of the answers.

Dexter S2 Ep 4: See-Through

What did you miss? For a review of the last episode, click HERE

From the Dexter wiki: https://dexter.fandom.com/wiki/Episode_204:_See-Through

Dexter reads the newspaper commentary about the Bay Harbor Butcher as girlfriend Rita Bennett obsessively cleans her house in anticipation of her estranged mother's visit. Cody complains about the heat and tells Dexter that he dreamed about the Bay Harbor Butcher. Dexter reassures Cody. Rita tells Dexter that she hopes the Bay Harbor Butcher is captured and hurt. A disturbed Dexter leaves for work.

At the office, Dexter privately worries that everyone is talking about him. Dexter muses with some satisfaction that even though all of the bodies in the field morgue have been identified, and that thirteen have known criminal records, the police don't know what the pattern means.

Lt. Esmée Pascal shows up late for work, a point not lost on Captain Tom Matthews. The Captain thinks that the public needs reassurance; Special Agent Frank Lundy disagrees, but is silent.

An excited Vince Masuka thinks he's developed a lead in the Bay Harbor Butcher case, which has Dexter concerned. Dexter watches as Masuka high-fives Angel Batista and wonders what Masuka might have found. An anxious Dexter leaves the station to visit his NA sponsor.

At Lila Tournay's loft, Dexter admires her ghoulish metalworking. Lila takes Dexter out for art supplies.

In the car, Dexter assures Lila that he's not using. Lila spots a metal post and runs into it with her car. She and Dexter steal the post for her art. Dexter thinks it's weird.

As Lila steals wind chimes from a house, Dexter confides that he's been under pressure and needs tips from Lila he is a bad person. Lila tells Dexter that she will help him understand his deepest, darkest secrets.on how to handle his urges. Lila asks Dexter why he uses. Dexter replies, "It's part of who I am."

In flashback, Dexter's adoptive mother tells Harry Morgan that something is "off" about young Dexter. Harry grudgingly agrees to take young Dexter to see a psychiatrist.

Later, at a crime scene, Lt Maria LaGuerta identifies the victim while Dexter asks questions about the Bay Harbor Butcher. Sergeant James Doakes recognizes the style of shooting as "Mozambique." He is certain that a Special Ops agent was the killer, and takes the lead on the case, noting his own background in Special Ops.

Debra Morgan, Angel, and Lundy examine bodies in the field morgue. Lundy points out that some of the victims had no criminal record. Angel takes the case of Oscar Sota to investigate further. Deb suggests that the killer may have cut him up for fun.

In the station room, Doakes has a lead on the Mozambique shooting. A Special Ops buddy of his has arranged for him to meet someone. Esmée accosts Dexter. She asks him to run forensic tests on her fiancé's shirt - she suspects the smell of another woman will be found. A reluctant Dexter tells Esmée that Masuka is the expert on finding suspicious smells on shirts. Privately, Dexter hopes that the additional work will further burden Masuka.

Later that evening, Rita's estranged mother, Gail visits. Rita makes a salad. Dexter privately considers Gail as an alien being and makes small talk. Noticing that Cody is not eating, Dexter asks what's wrong. Cody admits to being bad and wonders if The Bay Harbor Butcher will kill him. Dexter reassures Cody that The Bay Harbor Butcher doesn't hurt kids. Gail announces that the Bay Harbor Butcher has her seal of approval, much to Dexter's private satisfaction.


At the station, Deb has figured out that one of the victims without a criminal record was suspected of being a murderer. Lundy leaves for a date, and suggests that Deb start dating again, too.

At Rita's house, Dexter worries. He tells Rita that he had to see his sponsor earlier in the day, and that Lila is odd. Rita suggests that Dexter try someone older, and more manly.

Deb works out at the gym. The gym rat who helped her with the heavy bag is there, and they exchange glances. Deb introduces herself. The gym rat, Gabriel remembers her. Deb invites him for drinks. They hook up and end up at Deb and Dexter's apartment. Deb has a panic attack as she flashes back to the Ice Truck Killer. She handcuffs Gabriel to the bed, explaining that her previous boyfriend tried to kill her.

Dexter arrives home. Hearing noise from the bedroom, he assumes that she's on her treadmill again and walks into the room. Deb tells him to get out.

In the morning, an uncomfortable Dexter and Deb avoid eye contact. Dexter assures Deb that he saw only shadows. He asks Deb what the new evidence was in the Bay Harbor Butcher case. Deb tells Dexter that Masuka found algae diatoms, and that it could pinpoint the harbor where the killer keeps his boat. Dexter worries.

Angel talks to his victim's wife, trying to determine if the victim, Soto, was suspected of any crimes. Doakes leaves to meet his Special Ops contact at the marina. Frustrated at the Sota's wife's insistence that Sota was a good man, Angel's interrogation crosses a line. He explains the criminal past of all the victims and suggests that Sota may have been a criminal as well. Angry, Sota's wife leaves.

At the marina, Doakes finds himself on a boat with Curtis Barnes the dead woman's husband. Barnes tells Doaks to stall the investigation until he can sail to Cuba. Barnes admits to killing his wife. Both men draw their weapons.

At the office, Deb tells Lundy that she took his advice and hooked up. Lundy is embarrassed. Deb apologizes. Lundy admits that his own date was horrible and that he shouldn't be dating at all. A smitten Deb tells him that he should.

Dexter asks Masuka about the algae. Esmée confronts Masuka about the forensics he did on the shirt. Esmée has a public breakdown in the middle of the station room. Maria quietly leads Esmée away.

Doakes and Barnes lower their weapons. Barnes tells Doakes that the killing was not intentional. Doakes admits his own failed marriage and confesses that he left his wife because he was afraid of killing her. Barnes invites Doakes to go with him to Cuba. Doakes refuses. Barnes raises his weapon. Doakes kills Barnes.

Lila and Dexter lunch poolside. Dexter tells Lila that he needs a different sponsor.

In flashback. Harry tells young Dexter to lie to the psychiatrist, to think about what he's going to say, but to say the exact opposite of what he's thinking.

An upset Dexter goes back to work.

The Captain talks to Maria about Esmée's meltdown. He puts Maria back in charge of Homicide.

Outside of the field morgue, Angel Batista remarks to Dexter that it’s so hot, he could melt. Dexter privately wishes the bodies would melt away, which gives him an idea. Suddenly, he spots Lila in the parking lot. Annoyed, Dexter confronts her. Lila tells Dexter that dropping her is "not in your best interest." Dexter is adamant, but she mocks him. Dexter, in an effort to show Lila an example of evil, takes her into the field morgue.

Opening a body bag, Dexter confronts Lila with the evilness of his true self (but she doesn't know he is the killer). Fascinated, Lila asks if she can touch the body. Dexter, surprised, consents. Lila, thinking that the work is incredible, tells Dexter, "The person who did this is like us - good and evil." Dexter believes that Lila sees him, behind his mask.

In flashback, young Dexter follows Harry's advice and convinces the psychiatrist that nothing is wrong with him. Harry congratulates young Dexter for not allowing the psychiatrist "to see the monster inside of you."

Dexter finds comfort in knowing that Lila accepts him. They agree to meet again. Lila kisses Dexter.

At Sota's house, Angel apologizes to the wife for his behavior during the interrogation. He explains that it's been hard on him to see all of the Bay Harbor Butcher's victims - all the bodies in the morgue. Angel notes a breeze has picked up, and that the heat wave might be over. As he leaves, Sota's wife stops him. She confesses that her husband kept guns hidden in the walls of their home.

That night, Dexter breaks into the field morgue. He breaks the AC unit, hoping that the garbage collection truck will be blamed.

At the gym, Deb sees Gabriel and apologizes for her brother walking in on them. She asks Gabriel out an real date.

Maria and Esmée's fiancé, Betrand are in bed. Maria tells him that it's over. Bertand realizes that Maria only wanted him to get rid of Esmée, and to get her job back.

At breakfast the next morning, Dexter tells Rita that he misjudged Lila and says that she's the best sponsor for him. Cody comes to breakfast wearing a "Butcherman" costume that Gail made for him. While Dexter and Cody play Butcherman, Gail tell Rita that something is wrong with Dexter, and suspects that he's hiding something.

At the field morgue, Masuka, Lundy and the Marine Biologist arrive to collect specimens, but the morgue is flooded and the bodies have melted to goo.

Masuka and Dexter commiserate on the condition of the field morgue, but find some satisfaction in getting the Marine Biologist to vomit. Dexter tells Masuka that he's sorry that they didn't get their algae samples. Masuka tells Dexter that the samples were on the rocks, not the bodies, and that the rocks were kept separate from the field morgue. Masuka happily tells Dexter that the Marine Biologist was able to take the rocks back to his lab for processing. Dexter ponders electrocution versus lethal injection.