If last night’s dynamite episode of “The Walking Dead” taught us anything, it’s that Alexandria is comprised entirely of jackasses and woefully inept survivors. How any of them have survived this long, even taking their big steel walls into account, is beyond comprehension. This episode was the most ambitious hour of the season thus far.…
Gallaghers, right? Our favorite beleaguered South Side family decides their inherited family name is a diagnosis unto itself, or at least it should be, and they’re not wrong. They come to this conclusion while in the jail waiting room; this time they’re waiting on Carl, who has been caught attempting to smuggle, let’s call it…
Let me start by saying that while I largely enjoyed this episode, I found it to be sort of all over the place. Take the opening shot, a goofy look at Susan Ross (henceforth Artemis) as she’s prepped to become Vice President. Never mind the outlandish cartoonland politics that are behind this appointment in the…
Here we have what might once upon a time have been marketed as a Very Special Episode of Scandal. And yes, “The Lawn Chair” is primarily concerned with delivering a message, but I don’t think that it falls into the same traps that so many message episodes can. For instance the message does not come…
After a much needed kick in the pants, it’s nice to see Shameless mostly keeping up the momentum. “Tell Me You Fucking Need Me” is perhaps more interesting in concept than it ultimately is in execution, but the concept is so strong, and goes so far in uniting the several disparate elements of the season…
It’s a welcoming party at Alexandria for Rick and company. Some suburban style bliss awaits them. Or is it? In an episode that is light on action and big on talking, “The Walking Dead” asks its harried group if this idyllic town is too good to be true. The smartest part of the episode is…
Fear and doubt surrounded our struggling group of Survivors this week. When Maggie and Sasha bring the new “friend” Aaron into the barn at gunpoint, Rick is offered up his most important decision ever for the group. “I have good news” says Aaron. A safe community, with houses and reinforced steel walls awaits them. For…
Better late than never, right? For viewers like myself who were growing restless with Shameless’s fifth season so far, “Crazy Love” is a breath of fresh air. Not only is this handily the best episode of the season, it also sits comfortably among the very best episodes of the series to date. The process of…
After the Terrence Malick style fever dream of the midseason premiere it was inevitable that The Walking Dead would simmer down this week. The entire group is featured, but after two traumatic deaths the episode focuses on how Maggie, Sasha, and Daryl deal with their grief. Maggie cries alone in the woods, staring blankly at a…
I have to admit that as the season wears on, it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to write about Shameless. It’s still a bridge too far to call the show weak at this stage—in fact I think it’s attempting a number of really interesting things—but there is a spark that, for me at least,…
