Smash Cut

The worst thing about the current structure of television dramas, which emphasize winter finales that require series plots to simultaneously escalate to a climax, while also forestalling any real progress until that climax happens. Such is “The Last Supper”, which makes much ado about the Winslow conspiracy, further complicates it by adding both Elizabeth North…

It’s amazing what one good episode can do. Freak Show is as insane as ever, but “Bullseye” continues on from “Pink Cupcakes” and gives most, if not all, of its insanity some context. Finally the characters begin to feel like they inhabit the same space, and the show overall is more of a piece with…

"The future is weird." That quote has defined The Good Wife since its creative resurgence last year. There was a period of time during 3rd and 4th seasons that the show fell into a pattern of stagnant stories and the case of the week format. While that worked for the series for a while, it became clear…

Well, it’s about time. In the last moments of “Faith and Despondency” the truth about Tara’s murder is finally revealed. Of course this is done in a way that isn’t totally incontrovertible; I can already envision the seventy-minute fetch quest to find Gemma that will culminate in a dramatic cliffhanger. The thing about this episode…

While there are still some issues with American Horror Story: Freak Show, there’s no doubt in my mind that “Pink Cupcakes” is the first truly great episode of the season. It has immediately proven true that, with the introductions and lengthy preamble out of the way, the show can now launch headfirst into the stories…

By this point in Parenthood’s final season, your enjoyment of any given episode depends in large part on which characters you favor, and whether they appear in said episode. For instance, I enjoyed “These Are The Times We Live In” much more than last week’s episode, because I happen to like Julia and Drew best,…

Let’s get the record straight immediately: I am all about this episode of Scandal. “Baby Made a Mess” feels like a direct response to my biggest criticism of the season (and the series) to date, which is that the show has leaned too heavily on Olivia’s romantic life at the expense of her professional life.…