His Dark Materials S02E05 was built around a highly anticipated confrontation. Things had come to a head in the previous episode as the machinations of Lord Boreal (Ariyon Bakare) to acquire the Subtle Knife reached the point of hopeful fulfilment. Not only does Boreal bring Mrs. Coulter (Ruth Wilson) into his confidence, he takes her to our world, where he has set up a trap to lure Lyra (Dafne Keen) and Will (Amir Wilson).
Mank is a biographical drama about screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz (Gary Oldham) and the historical background behind Mankiewicz’s writing of the screenplay for Orson Welles’ legendary film, Citizen Kane. Mank is directed by David Fincher from a screenplay written by Jack Fincher.
Heaven’s Gate : The Cult of Cults is a 4-part HBO documentary about the religious cult that committed mass suicide in 1997. Heaven’s Gate as a cult documentary is bound to be compared to The Vow, which was about the NXIVM sex slavery cult. Which I guess is an appropriate starting point in discussing Heaven’s Gate : The Cult of Cults.
The Mandalorian S02E06 provided Star Wars fans a memorable moment with the proper return of fan-favourite Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison). Entitled “The Tragedy”, The Mandalorian S02E06 certainly telegraphed that the episode would be a difficult one for Mando (Pedro Pascal) as Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) set his plan in motion to capture Grogu.
Star Trek : Discovery S03E08 focused on Book (David Ajala) and his home planet of Kwejian, which is in league with the Emerald Chain (reluctantly). Now, the Emerald Chain is the villain of Season 3 and is a syndicate of Andorians and Orions that rose to prominence in the wake of the Burn, the cataclysmic event that has defined the 32nd century.
Glad to report that His Dark Materials S02E04 carries on the quickening of the pace, the improvement in quality first seen in the previous episode. His Dark Materials S02E04 finally reveals the role of Will Parry (Amir Wilson) in the storyline. Strange to witness Lyra (Dafne Keen) being relegated to a supporting role but that’s essentially what happened in His Dark Materials S02E04.
The Undoing S01E06 completes the HBO mini-series based on the novel You Should Have Known. Unfortunately, the series finale only confirms what I had suspected from episode 4 onwards – that The Undoing is a poorly conceived, badly written TV series.
The Mandalorian S02E05 is the episode that diehard Star Wars fans had been waiting for. Entitled “The Jedi”, The Mandalorian S02E05 delivered the ultimate fan-service – the live action debut of a beloved animated character, Ahsoka Tano! At the end of the previous episode, Bo-Katan had revealed the location of one of the last surviving Jedis – the city of Calodan on the forest planet of Corvus.
Star Trek : Discovery S03E07 is probably the best episode of the new season thus far. Entitled “Unification III”, Star Trek : Discovery S03E07 fulfils the promise of the series to more than live up to the legacy of Star Trek and does justice to the lore of this beloved franchise.
Hillbilly Elegy is a 2020 American family drama film directed by Ron Howard, based on the 2016 memoir of the same name by J. D. Vance. Presumably Hillbilly Elegy was made for the entire family to enjoy, targeted primarily at the Thanksgiving weekend in the U.S.A.
Black Narcissus is a 3-part psychological drama mini-series based on the 1939 novel by Rumer Godden and the 1947 film adaptation of the same name. This FX series is essentially a remake of the 1947 film.
His Dark Materials S02E03 is probably one of the strongest episodes thus far in this adaptation of Philip Pullman’s novel series. If you have been following my reviews, you would be aware of my complaint that the world-building that this adaptation is attempting is so dense that it can all get very confusing.
The Undoing S01E05 is entitled “Trial by Fury”, which suggests fire and brimstone occurs at the murder trial of Jonathan Fraser (Hugh Grant). That is false advertising sadly. In my review of S01E04, I had expressed hope that things would pick up from the somewhat pedestrian pacing that had plagued The Undoing thus far. No such luck!
After the big revelations of the last episode, there were obviously great expectations for The Mandalorian S02E04. But alas, the poor condition of the Razor Crest necessitated yet another diversion from the quest as Mando and the Child re-visited Nevarro for needful repairs. Cue the reunion with Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), Cara Dune (Gina Carano) and even Mando’s former bounty Mythrol (Horatio Sanz), all from the first season.
Star Trek : Discovery S03E06 seemed like a step back from the narrative of Discovery returning to the Starfleet fold as Michael Burnham once again proved herself incapable of following Starfleet protocol. But what is a story without tension, without drama, without conflict? Nothing. Star Trek : Discovery is definitely more than nothing!
His Dark Materials S02E02 continues Lyra’s sojourn away from her home world as she continues to seek the truth behind ‘dust’ – the substance that facilitates traveling between alternate realities. Entitled “The Cave”, His Dark Materials S02E02 now takes place on multiple planes of existence as part of its narrative.
After a bit of a teased twist at the end of episode 3, I was hoping that The Undoing S01E04 would bring us down an intriguing road. But alas, a tease was all it was, and it was unfulfilled. But still, The Undoing S01E04 is managing to keep my interest in the limited series so far. Why is that?
The Crown is a historical drama streaming television series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II (played by Olivia Colman). Certainly, in modern times, no other royal family has captured public imagination like the Windsors. Also, in the context of the prolonged reign of Queen Elizabeth II, such a drama series is definitely merited. The Crown Season 4 perhaps begins the Queen’s most tumultuous years, to be concluded with Season 5, coming in 2022.
The Alienist is a period drama TV series set in New York of the late 19th century. Based on the novel of the same name by Caleb Carr, The Alienist debuted in mid-2018 to mixed critical responses. The Alienist Season 2 was released in July 2020 and based on Carr’s sequel novel, The Angel of Darkness.
The Mandalorian S02E03 is destined to be a fan-favourite episode of this popular Disney+ series. Entitled “The Heiress”, The Mandalorian S02E03 introduces the live-action version of Bo-Katan (played by Katee Sackhoff), from The Clone Wars animated series. Bo-Katan is of the Mandalorian Clan Kryze and plans to reclaim Mandolore from the fallen Empire.
The Queen’s Gambit is a Netflix limited series based on the 1983 novel by Walter Tevis. The series is alternately a chess fantasy and a feminist drama. Starring Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon, the main character, the story is set in the 1950s and 1960s.
Star Trek : Discovery S03E05 “Die Trying” seems to promise the end of Discovery’s quest to be reunited with Starfleet and the Federation but what the crew discovers (sorry) is far from expected. At the end of the previous episode, Adira Tal reconnected with her symbiont’s previous hosts and was able to glean the vital information from Starfleet Admiral Senna Tal concerning Starfleet HQ location.
His Dark Materials S02E01 marks the return of HBO’s adaptation of Philip Pullman’s popular scifi fantasy series. The first season was a mixed affair distinguished by the performances of Dafne Keen (as protagonist Lyra) and Ruth Wilson (as antagonist Mrs. Coulter), but bogged down by the convoluted storyline. Definitely did not have the impact of a Game of Thrones that perhaps HBO was hoping for.
The Undoing is a six-part HBO psychological thriller drama mini-series based on the 2014 novel You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz. for the purpose of this review, I shall be splitting my comments into two parts. Episodes one to three will be covered in The Undoing – Part I. So whenever I refer to The Undoing – Part I, I am discussing the first three episodes.
It’s fair to say that The Mandalorian S02E02 was a huge disappointment. After the reveal of the return of a fan-favourite legacy character at the end of the last episode, The Mandalorian S02E02 “The Passenger” simply went nowhere, plot-wise.
