akshatdave Reviews

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Pilot (2017) Season 1, Episode 1

Hilarious clever use of comedy and drama...

[9 December 2017]

The series explores the life of a 1958 housewife, Miriam "Midge" Maisel living in Manhattan with her perfect husband, perfect family, and perfect life. The series encapsulates the 50's with a nostalgic, jazzy soundtrack that whisks us away into the decade of a cookie-cutter lifestyle and doo-wop music.

When Midge is first introduced, we meet her as a simple, charming, cute woman who goes above and beyond for her husband, Joel, who is an aspiring comedian. So much so, that she prepares a brisket to convince the booker at the comedy club in Greenwich Village to give him the optimal time slot. She is basically the epitome of a supportive wife, jotting down notes during his performances and giving him ideas for his acts. However, all this comes to a startling halt one night, when his (plagiarized) act fails, and in total frustration, he walks away from their marriage. This night reveals and defines Midge's marvelous character for the series as she finds herself in a drunken stupor on the stage cracking jokes, with the audience laughing in uproar.

From here on, we see Midge's character find herself, and discover a passion she never knew she had. The transformation from a 1950's housewife to finding herself as a stand-up comedian was executed beautifully by Brosnahan, who was the perfect casting for this role. She possessed the sweet and sour essence of Midge who becomes a force to be reckoned with as she realizes her importance in the world goes far beyond the social expectations of the 50's; the idea one must be a perfect mother, daughter, and wife. Midge's journey continues as she finds a friend in comedy club employee, Susie Meyerson who witnesses her drunken act and becomes her number one advocate, and later her manager. Borstein delivers a hilariously epic performance as Brosnahan's counterpart, and their dynamic is the soul of the show.

The series is through and through everything that is amazing and frustrating about the 50's, ranging from social expectations of females to the phenomenal music. It was a treat and an absolute delight to watch a series that didn't falter in shattering the social norms via Midge's character, who herself underestimated the power she possessed. With Brosnahan's unbelievable portrayal of Midge and Amy Sherman-Palladino's creation, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel does NOT disappoint and is a series worth checking out.

Dark: Geheimnisse (2017) Season 1, Episode 1

The Title suits the show perfectly..

[8 December 2017]

Mild spoilers..We open on a bunker in the woods. It's filled with old photographs, newer ones, newspaper clippings, grenades, rifles. All sorts of things. A narrator lets us know that time is just a loop, it repeats, the past comes back to bear on the present.Dark takes place in the fictional town of Winden, whose forested surroundings are dominated by the cooling towers of a nuclear power plant.When a young boy disappears and a body is found in the woods, the resulting mystery seems to point to the nuclear plant.I've been expecting this series to be good, but the first episode completely blew me away. I mean, it's just an utterly incredible episode, and it's got me hooked. The cinematography, combined with the locations, the sets, is absolutely out of this world.Whole episode had a dark tone with a hair- raising soundtrack.Some weird things were left unexplained but that's what got me hooked for the next epiosde,especially the last scene.

I know many people are comparing it with stranger things but it is different in many aspects.Tense, weird and mind-bendingly complicated, Dark grabs you from the opening scene and relentlessly strangles you into submission in this gripping thriller. Despite the slight similarities to Stranger Things, comparing the two would be doing Dark disjustice. The two shows are completely different with Dark far more complex and sinister in its approach. Thought provocative, mature themes are explored throughout the series too and fully fleshed, complex characters help to elevate this German sci-fi show. There are times where its unnecessarily convoluted; the plot jumps between time periods with reckless abandon making it hard to follow at times but if you can persevere through this, Dark is an incredibly complex puzzle that's well worth taking the time to solve.It is unique blend of different genres,It's certainly TV Shows ERA now I can't believe so many shows are coming one after another,Even if it was my first time watching a show in German language I Didn't notice once.

The Punisher (2017–2019)

This one had reasonable and close-to-real life stories and the best fight scene.

[16 November 2017]

Adapting The Punisher to the screen has always been problematic across,For all of the brilliant comic book takes on Frank Castle over the years, from Garth Ennis to Greg Rucka, he remains a character who has chosen to bring his brand of justice down the pointy end of a gun. So it's mostly a relief to see that Marvel's Netflix series isn't all guns and glory.

It's rather slow in the setup and while that all pays off eventually it definitely could have used some better pacing. There's certainly not enough Punishing and for someone that's all about violence it's used sparingly.They went for more of a thriller type scenario where Frank is attempting to work with others to take down a haunting memory. This brings in some new perspectives and separate story lines that are explored. This is where the whole pay-off aspect comes as every little thing comes together in an intense way.

The Punisher begins with Frank Castle believing he has completed his mission for revenge against the mobsters who killed his family and hanging up his skull-adorned costume. Six months later everybody thinks Frank Castle is dead and, having grown a hipster beard, he's taken a new name and landed a job on a construction crew where even though more modern equipment is available, he's able to take a sledgehammer to concrete walls. It's a metaphor, just like all of the time he spends standing in front of his bathroom mirror staring into his reflection and his soul, something that happens so frequently here that the fastest way to trim an hour from the show might be cutting mirror scenes in half. The mirror stuff is actually hilarious, stretching into the dialogue as well.

Anyway, Frank is about to discover that he did a lot of punishing for nothing, or at least that his punishing was only partial, because it turns out that the death of his family relates to his black ops military service in Afghanistan and he's going to have to start punishing again. This time, he has an ally in a former NSA analyst Micro, whose family thinks that he's dead, too. Frank, who works better alone, finds himself in an unlikely partnership and almost a friendship. Castle has to reconnect with former brothers-in-arms Curtis (Jason R. Moore), now working to support soldiers suffering from PTSD, and Billy Russo (Ben Barnes), now the slick head of a private security concern. Meanwhile, the bad stuff that happened in Kandahar has attracted the attention of Homeland Security agent Dinah Madani, a child of Iranian refugees. Also involved, and providing links to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, is Daredevil regular Karen Page.

The Punisher was a gritty, great start for the character. It helped build the character's past while presenting a self-contained and intriguing story. There are some definite current modern themes explored and it feels very different from anything on the Marvel Netflix side of things in the past. It was nice to see a character in this series once again take pain and have many potentially fatal situations. This sort of business is dangerous and that sense of loss just wasn't there in the last couple Marvel Netflix shows. I enjoyed watching the season, fans of the character will find this captured the anti-hero very well though some may feel it's rather slow to get going. Once it does all move quickly and things are all well developed it doesn't hold back on the action or tension. The Punisher is a solid character so it's nice to see a full season actually deliver on what potential there is for this badass within the universe.I see many people are complaining about all the violence shown in the show well it's just how the punisher is.If he doesn't stay true to his character the show would change completely.It's just his form of justice.If it wouldn't be for a great actor like Jon and Steve Lightfoot I wouldn't be watching it right now.It's just a fictional story and a great one not some superhero supervillain bull***t so just enjoy the show..

Mindhunter: Episode #1.1 (2017) Season 1, Episode 1

Intense, thrilling and captivating..

[14 October 2017]

Netflix's often-mesmerizing new FBI profiler series Mindhunter isn't the glum bit of camp that that film was, though as in Seven.The overarching tone here is very much in line with Fincher's own Zodiac (2007), which treated the 1960s/'70s-era case of the California-based Zodiac killer as a soul-crushing puzzle without a satisfying solution. Mindhunter is also a '70s story, set specifically during the time when the FBI's Behavioral Sciences Unit was coming into its own.

This is certainly a compelling beginning, right from the tense scene that introduces us to empathetic young agent Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) as he attempts to defuse a situation involving multiple hostages and a shotgun- toting man off his meds. Groff is immediately persuasive as a person whose raw talent is as much a hindrance as an advantage, and Fincher's surgically precise touch is evident in even tiny details like the police bullhorn that distorts a cop's voice to just the right unnerving degree. (The sound design by Fincher regular Ren Klyce is impeccable throughout both episodes.) The standoff ends in a shockingly gory way, and Holden is consigned, for the most part, to the Quantico classroom where he instructs new agents in the musty ways of an FBI that hasn't much changed since J. Edgar Hoover walked the halls.

A good portion of the first episode is given over to Holden's endearingly cloddish ways with the world at large. Strait-laced in every facet from hairstyle to wardrobe to attitude, he's certainly at a loss when it comes to the post-Woodstock hippies and burgeoning punk rockers defiantly living their lives around him. He even falls in with one of these rebels, Debbie (Hannah Gross), who he meets-cute at a bar, then converses with about French sociologist David Emile Durkheim at an eardrum-shattering hardcore show. Fincher hilariously captions their dialogue in subtitles, a brilliant visual joke that also gets, movingly, at the divides that emerge on many a first date.

Soon enough, Holden is trying pot for the first time, marveling during a movie-night-out at the realism of Sidney Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon (which he later uses, quite brilliantly, as a teaching tool) and being instructed by Debbie in dirty-talk cunnilingus. His real affections, however, lie elsewhere and only blossom after he meets Behavioral Science head Bill Tench (Holt McCallany, an old-reliable supporting player for Fincher and many others, here given a commanding lead role). They're tasked with traveling around the country — location names are splashed in the big blocky text that fills the screen — and instructing local law enforcement in bridging the compassionate gap with criminals. But while on one such assignment, Holden sees an opportunity to further expand their methods by interviewing a known murderer, Edmund (Cameron Britton, as unnerving in his towering well-spokenness as Zodiac's John Carroll Lynch), and noting down his insights.

So Mindhunter reveals itself as a suspense series hinging on after-the- fact investigations into the heads and hearts of known murderers. Not whodunit so much as whydidyou? And in these two episodes, it's never less than engrossing. Fincher has proved time and again that he can make even the most mundane activities and actions riveting. It could be a probing conversation between characters (often edited with the clipped, quick efficiency of a Golden Age screwball comedy), or a simple shot of a jacket slipping off of a chair. The rhythms are so precise that even moments you'd think would land with a thud, such as a time-passing montage scored to the Steve Miller Band's "Fly Like an Eagle," come off as inspired. There's no telling if the series can maintain this level of quality, though Fincher seems much more hands-on here (directing four episodes in total, and helping to pick the helmers — Andrew Douglas, Tobias Lindholm and Asif Kapadia — behind the other six) than he did with Netflix's flagship original House of Cards. So there's reason to hope this tale about the psychology of cut-throats won't too quickly become cut-rate.

Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall (2017) Season 7, Episode 6

Still better than 99% of TV shows out there..

[20 August 2017]

This review is based on the episode that was leaked and contains major spoilers -

Many people are complaining about the episode yes it is not the same show because every show progresses over time, change is needed they can't show us same things in every season some are saying it's because R.R.Martin isn't making script personally but still major ideas are his he didn't left for this episode you weren't complaining in spoiles of war yes this episode didn't explain much of things and has some flaws but this doesn't mean that it deserves one star personally I was surprised to see this episode because I never see trailers,previews,pictures or any fan theories most of guys complaining knew what would happen so how could you enjoy it.I am not saying that it is the best episode ever but it certainly isn't worst.

It's become Game of Thrones tradition that the penultimate episode of the season is epic in scale, the crescendo to the season in terms of action, leaving the final episode to mop up its political fallout.'Beyond the Wall' kept this up, but with a very different kind of battle sequence than we're used to, the team of warriors' (hereon: the Still Breathing Seven, to paraphrase Jon) stealth ambush quickly becoming a battle for survival.

Before the good let's clear some issues that people have like why dragons didn't aim at knight king when attacking wights well maybe because night king isn't affected by fire so the show runners didn't bother to show that,What kind of lightning quick ravens have they got in Westeros? Same thing was asked in earlier episodes now got is at peak story is not linear and timeline is not same. And why were all the white walkers were standing there not attacking The Seven because they thought ice was very thin and they would fall we know knight king is controlling everyone so when clegen threw a rock they knew they could walk,when one of them crossed everone did.so if you disengage your critical faculties and just enjoy the episode for what it is: a rip roaring piece of entertainment.

Childish joys I experienced during the episode to counterbalance the issues above: Jon and Jorah talk about Lord Jeor Mormont and his death. If these two see themselves as romantic rivals, there's no sign of it here. Jon offers Longclaw, the Mormont family sword, back to Jorah.He's very stoic but occasionally gives this whisper of a smile and it's so endearing! Beric can set his sword on fire! The Hound threw a snowball at a reanimated corpse. Arya and Sansa's scene was very well acted I hate after long time of meeting they are fighting each other.The costumes were amazing especially of dany.dragons wiped out thousands of wights in seconds.The end scene of dragon turning was epic.

Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) and Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) shows how talented these two actresses are. After the compelling scene in Arya's bedroom, we had no idea what might happen. Is Arya going to kill her sister? Will Sansa have her sister arrested or killed? The two actresses were very convincing in their portrayal of an overblown family conflict.

The bad news is that the White Walkers can kill dragons with their magical ice spears. The Night King now has his own undead dragon, which both breaks our heart and piques our curiosity. Despite much speculation, it turns out there is no third dragon rider among the Lannisters, or any of the living beings for that matter.

Like everyone I knew episode was going to be great but this was the biggest surprise I had in a while,I watched the episode because there were too many spoilers on the internet. That's classic got we all knew that dragons vs white walkers will happen some day but this is very soon.whole episode was action packed and full of thrills but The scene that hit me most was the death of Viserion,one of the three dragons.

Dunkirk (2017)

Another hit from Nolan,very different approach to war genre..

[17 July 2017]

For the majority of his career Christopher Nolan has thrived in surrealism, whether it be focusing on caped crusaders or unchartered space missions. So it's intriguing to see him return to a narrative steeped in realism, and grounded by its commitment to real life occurrences. The results are staggeringly impressive too, while the talented filmmaker maintains his creative sensibilities, crafting a war movie that feels distinctively his.When thinking about war films, it's very hard not to go straight to the classics such as Apocalypse Now, Platoon or Saving Private Ryan.You have to make something very special to be mentioned in the same sentence as films like those.

Naturally I was excited for the movie and I think most people were because we knew that it is Nolan's movie. From the opening shot of dunkirk you are in it and You are experiencing everything like you are there , there's never a dull moment or scene where characters sit around a campfire and say who you got back home no background stories. You don't get those kind of things in Dunkirk what you are used to see in war films yeah this could be a problem because you don't feel connected to specific characters and you are not connected emotionally but this movie is not like others there are many war movies and we have seen many similar things but this movie is not about individual it's completely about the event. It's about the evacuation like being in the middle of this horrific situation. According to my opinion When you are in a situation like this you don't say "hey my name is.....what's yours where are you from - oh I thought we could have a conversation between all the bombs and planes firing constantly" No this movie is in the moment and how Nolan show us the event It's what movies were invented for. everything on the screen look completely authentic there's never a moment that feels wasted. When I heard that it's only 106 minutes long I thought it should be 3 hours long movie but when I saw that it starts in battle and ends in battle I think it's perfectly made in one and half hour. And if you're expecting big arcs then sorry because sometimes in war people die alone and no one's there to comfort them or tell them it's going to be OK that's what make this movie so terrifying.

"Dunkirk" tells the story of a group of allied soldiers from Belgium, France, and the British Empire. When they find themselves surrounded by the Germany army on the beaches of Dunkirk, the film follows the story of the evacuation of 400,000 during the early stages of World War II.boasting an incredible cast, Christopher Nolan allows his players to internalize the fear and emotion, and allow them to express it in the most aromatic and penetrating demeanor's. As Tommy, Fionn Whitehead makes an astounding mark in his feature film debut. With no true lead in the movie, his point of view is often a crutch for the audience to rest upon, as his internalization of the character is one of the film's most pivotal high points.It is gripping from its very opening moments, in which we see soldiers getting picked off by invisible snipers in the middle of the titular town as propaganda flyers shower from overhead, announcing to the British, French, Canadian, Belgian and Dutch troops that they are hopelessly penned in by the Germans.We are in the early months of World War Two.Christopher Nolan makes the decision to avoid all of this explanation, and to give us a Dunkirk that focuses on the personal experiences of the war by land, sea and air

The sea battle is also done very well from a technical perspective. We get a sense of the claustrophobia of being aboard ship, the shell-shock and the terror of a watery death, especially when combined with lit gasoline. I thought the acting was by far the best in this segment. I very much liked Mark Rylance's quiet earnestness as a civilian sailor sailing to Dunkirk with his son - the quiet communication between the two of them with glances - the profound sympathy toward Cillian Murphy's traumatised rescued RAF pilot. And the scene of soldiers drowning under a fiery sea is one of the most memorable and rightly horrific in the film.

Dunkirk is edge of your seat filmmaking. Can honestly say I've never seen anything like it.A lot of people were wondering about Harry_styles & unknown cast. They're all great but Dunkirk is not about any one solider. Also 'Dunkirk' is another brilliant collaboration between Nolan & HansZimmer. The way he mixes in a ticking clock with score is nail biting.DUNKIRK relies on very little dialogue.We all know what happened on that beach, but Nolan's take is worth visiting. Yes, DUNKIRK relies heavily on sound of an increasingly fast ticking clock to build suspense.Drop everything and go watch Dunkirk. It is an experience. Not a mere film.

American Gods: Come to Jesus (2017) Season 1, Episode 8

Episode was good but the series was not what we expected..

[19 June 2017]

I think many viewers like me were waiting for the show from a long time.I didn't know anything about book from the start there were many hater who called it boring but I thought it was good starting to the show but after the third episode all episodes were just normal. Direction was great but the acting was not that great I don't feel connected to the series as I was with the first season of shows like Westworld and Anne with an E,I don't know what went wrong but I think they took so much time to show us a war between old and new gods.

The eighth episode, "Come to Jesus", is far from an ideal season finale. It manages to bring together the disparate and separated cast together for a spring outing, but the show meets none of the usual expectations from a finale: there's no big revelation, nor a setup for the next season, nor even an offer of some closure. Sure, Wednesday finally uttered his real name upon Shadow's insistence, but since the audience has always been so far ahead of our "hero", it didn't come as a surprise to anyone.

While nobody was expecting that the first-season finale of American Gods would wrap everything up in a lovely neat apocalypse (showrunner Bryan Fuller's already said he sees his and Michael Green's adaptation of the novel arcing over "three to four seasons"), we might justifiably have expected something a bit more… well… finale-ish than "Come To Jesus".The big revelation that Wednesday is really Odin can hardly count as a dramatic pay-off, given it was pretty damn obvious from the show's very start. And the official announcement of war between gods Old and New just feels like the characters catching up to where the plot's already gone. Meanwhile, the dramatic tension created by last episode's disclosure that Mad Sweeney offed Laura at Wednesday's behest has now been totally dissolved by her shruggy response. After such an impressive start, it's kinda sad to see the season end so averagely.

Still, there are glimmers of hope for a Season 2 bounce-back. Chenoweth's dainty but powerful Easter is a welcome addition to the supporting pantheon, while the script's maintained its dark and cheekily blasphemous sense of humour; "Jesus Christ," exclaims Laura on arriving at Easter's son-of-God-packed party, "are they all Jesuses?" Plus it was great to see Yetide Badaki back as Bilquis, now revealed as being in the employ of New God Technical Boy (her deadly sex powers have been all fired up by Tinder). The Queen of Sheba's planning something nasty for Shadow, no doubt, in an upcoming instalment

Anne with an E: Wherever You Are Is My Home (2017) Season 1, Episode 7

It should win Emmy in all areas..

[16 June 2017]

Spoilers..Off the top of my head, I cannot think of another show which consistently has me smiling a goofy smile, laughing, and crying, from episode to episode. Hell, I can't think of many movies that can do that without someone dying or someone going through something awful. Yet, somehow this show can make you cry simply out of seeing McNulty, as Anne, smile. So with having no knowledge of the source material, or past adaptations, I can only look toward McNulty as the reason for this being such a overwhelimg good program. I'd even argue it is better than This Is Us since it doesn't try so hard.

When I started watching Anne, I didn't know that it was written by moira walley-beckett(writer of breaking bad/ozymandias).I like drama genre the stories always feel true and inspiring.I don't know how I found this show and it turned out to be so good.I hope it renews for season 2.Shows like this don't get much appreciation and popularity so they just cancel the show like the show "The Knick" that was one of the best show aired on TV unfortunately it got cancelled,I certainly wanna see Anne's story further haven't read the book so no idea what's going to happen but I know for sure that would be great.

Long story short In this episode Anne get to know that Cuthberts are getting poor.Matthew took a loan without telling Marilla and soon Matthew have a heart attack and needs rest so Anne and Marilla do everything they can to repay the debt so when Jerry and Anne go to city to sell some things there Anne meets Gilbert and Jerry tries to sell a horse but some thieves rob him at home Matthew attempts suicide.In the end the thieves came at Cuthberts as tenants for their home.

Overall, I've been very impressed with the tone, cinematography and performances, particularly Amybeth McNulty's take on our flame-haired heroine. But, really, everyone has been stellar and these first eight episodes have merely whet my appetite for more.

Billions: Golden Frog Time (2017) Season 2, Episode 11

What a great saga..

[14 June 2017]

It was superb through not a single mistake.Structured like a mini- Scorsese movie, the episode tracks the Ice Juice IPO and the effect its ups and downs have on the major players, scrolling back and forth in time to show us exactly how it all unfolds. For most of the hour, it appears that the tables have finally turned: Everything is going Axe's way, while Chuck is the unwitting victim of his plot to destroy Ice Juice's prospects before it even gets off the ground. And yet, it all looks too easy from Axe's perspective. A seed was planted a couple of weeks ago, a small hint indicating that this was a setup on Chuck's part all along. Admittedly, for most of tonight's episode, I questioned whether I had misread that when it happened, but the final montage makes it all plain: Chuck is still on a roll, and Axe is merely enjoying a momentary respite before it all comes crashing down. It's ingenious, really. One of my major qualms about this second season is the way it's heavily favored Chuck all the way. Nothing has gone wrong for him, so when it looks like everything is crashing down tonight, it feels like a delayed but nonetheless inevitable comeuppance has finally arrived. Axe's plan is a little goofy, but workable: rope in a handful of civilians who owe him favors (or who owe favors to associates like Lara's scuzzy bar friends) to down some bottles of Ice Juice dosed with a poison that won't do any long-term harm to them, but will torpedo the stock on its first day on the market. It works beautifully: The stock soars to the point where Chuck Sr. invests all of Chuck's blind trust into it. Wendy gets wind of it at work and tries to warn Chuck, whose overconfidence at this moment turns out to be part of his play. (It's a pretty safe bet that he'll come to regret not trusting her with his master plan at this point, but come on, something has to go wrong for him eventually.) It's not until the final five minutes or so, after the stock has tanked and all seems lost, that the clock rewinds again and we find out exactly what Chuck has been up to. He's cut a deal with Boyd to spring him from his sentence in exchange for passing on the information about Senior's involvement in Ice Juice to Axe. Pushing the limits of plausibility, albeit in entertaining fashion, he arranges for Dake to get promoted to U.S. attorney on the Eastern District on the condition that he put manpower on every Ice Juice location as well as all of Axe's known associates in order to gather the evidence necessary to prove Axe sabotaged the IPO. Yes, this is all ridiculous, but in Billions terms, it's satisfying nonetheless.

Even with all of this going on, the heart of the episode is the struggle for Taylor's soul. I have to assume this is Asia Kate Dillon's Emmy submission, as their performance elevates what would otherwise be a rather schematic piece of character development. Taylor represents the Moneyball voice within Axe Capital, reliant on analytics to make decisions. Axe and Wags advise that they look beyond the stats when faced with cutting someone from the ranks. That Taylor is eventually won over by a "Rudy" figure with more heart than talent would feel a little too corny if Dillon weren't able to sell it, but they pull it off without betraying the enigmatic, ambiguous quality that makes Taylor so fascinating. Bryan would agree, as he still has hopes that Taylor can be reached. Whether that plays out in the finale remains to be seen, but Billions has its work cut out for it if it's going to top "Golden Frog Time."

This Is Us: Pilot (2016) Season 1, Episode 1

"Take the sourest lemon life has to offer and turn it into resembling lemonade"..

[10 June 2017]

It'll likely be easy for more cynical TV viewers to turn their nose up at NBC's new series, This is Us, with its openly emotional music playing over openly emotional moments. However, if you're willing to embrace the show's heart on sleeve approach, there's a lot to appreciate here.NBC has done what HBO and Netflix do made the best comedy drama of recent years..

I'll admit to rolling my eyes a bit at how earnest and somewhat cliché This is Us felt initially, but as the pilot continued, it quickly began to grab ahold of me. The script by series creator Dan Fogelman (Tangled, Galavant) is emotionally manipulative, but it's successfully manipulative. Fogelman's witty, thoughtful dialogue, helps to quickly establish a history to these characters, while the cast all give strong performances, showing a group of people all feeling introspective for very different reasons.

From the moment the pilot begins, it's difficult not to wonder how these characters are connected – or if they will somehow become connected by an event that has yet to occur. Suffice to say, the answer to this question is given by the end of the episode, and it's a good one. I'm sure a few people will guess it (though many will not), but it makes the scope of the series feel bigger than expected. At the same time, it offers a cool payoff that makes the pilot a very satisfying viewing experience in and of itself, telling its own story.

This is Us' three different stories are involving and the twist it offers at the end is effective as far as giving us a new perspective on what is occurring. I have no idea if the show will continue to be as strong, but the pilot is a notably strong one that feels like a short film of sorts, as these people all go through a particularly notable and impactful day.As it seems jack and Rebecca are the parents of three children Randall,Kate and Kevin.How they managed to show us that was just unbelievable,a great directed and well written after all..

Taboo: Episode #1.1 (2017) Season 1, Episode 1

Mystery drama that we begged for from long time..

[10 June 2017]

Over the last few years, the number of TV shows that leave viewers with more questions than answers has grown exponentially. What started with Lost has led to Game of Thrones and the brilliant Westworld, shows that have increased in popularity thanks to rabid fan discussion on the internet.The first episode of Taboo – created by Tom Hardy, his father Chips, and frequent collaborator Steven Knight – pines after the same audience by giving away very little while hinting at lots to come.

Set in 1814 London – which shares a similar dirty aesthetic with Peaky Blinders – Taboo centres on blunt-talking James Delany, played by Hardy, who returns to England from Africa following his father's mysterious death. Delany, however, was believed to be dead, his appearance at the funeral disrupting plans made by his half-sister Zilpha (Oona Chaplin) and husband Thorne Geary (Jefferson Hall) to sell an inherited plot of land to the East India Trading Company.

Having caused quite a stir, Delany decides to pay numerous characters from his past a visit, including his father's butler, lawyer, and the aforementioned villainous trading company, headed by Jonathan Pryce, who channels the same arrogance seen in his Game of Thrones character, the High Sparrow. Things, obviously, aren't as they appear: Delany has a bizarre and unexplained connection with the undead along with a vicious temper, making numerous threats without doing anything particularly threatening.

From these various exchanges – each filled to the brim with exposition – we're left with dozens of unanswered questions, some of which can be inferred (Delany's abandoned son is presumably his and Zilpha's love child), others merely guessed at (did Delany make a pact with the devil in Africa?). Unfortunately, by giving very little away it also leaves viewers with very little reason to care for any of these characters, including Delany, who appears to have righteous intentions but spends the majority of the hour brooding. Of course, heavyweight actors Hardy and Pryce give bucketfuls of gravitas to their roles, even if Hardy's wavering Bane-like accent and ridiculous hat are sometimes unintentionally humorous. Other characters, including Chaplin's Zilpha, have had very little to offer just yet, mainly thanks to the camera barely leaving Hardy's face. It is his show, after all, yet some extended breaks from his intense performance could be beneficial.

At its conclusion, Taboo left me in a strange place. While I'm curious to see what happens to the grizzled Delany, there's a frustration knowing so little about these characters after an hour's viewing. The pace is slow and the payoff, which has barely been hinted at, could be minimal, leaving me to question whether the show is worth investing further Saturday nights into.

Hopefully, as things pick up, Taboo will reveal a solid storyline to anchor down these so-far loosely fitting plot-lines. For now, though, without offering any real sense of adventure, I can't help thinking there are more worthwhile shows to be watching.

+great acting by tom hardy and writing by knight

+rightly dramatised

+pacing was good

-little was told about characters was mainly focused on hardy(maybe good thing for hardy fans)...

Anne with an E: Your Will Shall Decide Your Destiny (2017) Season 1, Episode 1

It'll Take 5 Minutes For You To Connect With Anne And 9 For Her To Get You To Cry..

[9 June 2017]

You ever see a description in which they note "Based off the classic […]" and you begin to think to yourself, "By whose standard?" If only because: A) You've never heard of it and B) You've read many a classic before which was shite? Well, strangely enough, Anne is more so an exception than following the rule of using the word "Classic" as a cheap marketing ploy. For truly, this adaptation allows you to understand why the source material is considered a classic.

At 13 years old, Anne (Amybeth McNulty) has spent nearly ten years as an orphan who didn't get the privilege of childhood. Instead, she has been working, taking care of other kids, and often without a sense of friendship or family. Yet, things seem to be looking up. She is due to be adopted by Marilla (Geraldine James) and Matthew (R.H. Thomson) Cuthbert. Two people up in age, but who could still make swell parents.

Well, that is if either of them wanted a child for the sake of one, much less a girl. The truth is, Matthew needs help and while perhaps too proud to say so, Marilla just the same. For neither one are getting any younger and with them both unmarried and seemingly, family wise, only having each other 1, the cheapest option would be to adopt a boy.

Yet, what they end up with is Anne. A girl who is inquisitive, loquacious, and imaginative. Something Matthew appreciates since Marilla is very conservative, but their decisions are made together. For even if he is the man of the house, he shares said house with his sister. Which leads to problems for Anne since Marilla is hard to please. Yet, as she gets to know Anne she does try to warm up to her. However, there is this nagging desire to have her be off. Not because it is personal but because, business-wise, even if Anne is willing and able to work, they need a farm hand. Something Marilla, with her traditional Christian values, doesn't see as something appropriate for a girl to be doing.

I try to go into any new series with a sense of optimism yet, I do feel I will end up disappointed. However, there is nothing to really be disappointed about in this premiere. There is no long wait or slow burn when it comes to falling for Anne. Within 5 minutes, 5 MINUTES! McNulty's charm has you hooked and then within 4 more she has you emotionally invested. For, at first, Anne just seems like a little kid with an overactive imagination sent to the Cuthbert's because her need to express her thoughts was getting on everyone's nerves.

However, once you discover she never really had the opportunity to be a kid she slowly tears down any walls you may have built up. For, as you begin to understand her, you realize she uses books and her imagination to escape a life where she had to work to survive. She uses Jane Eyre and romantic tales to paint a future where she isn't, as she sees herself, some ugly girl due to her freckles, skinniness, and red hair. I mean, you'd have to be heartless to not feel for the child. And really, you are almost to the point you want to reach out and hug her, make her feel reassured and validated. I mean, McNulty really does get under your skin and dig her way into your heart like that.

Making it so, as we are introduced to Matthews and Marilla, despite both of those actors working since the 1970s, McNulty, who seemingly only began her career 3 years ago, not only outshines them but forces them to be reliant on her. For, strangely enough, the writing is so that even if Anne is just reacting to the people and situations she finds herself in, you never forget who is the lead and who this story is about. For, not once, does McNulty ever lose you.

This show will send you on a whirlwind of emotion. One minute you'll be tickled, possibly laughing, as Anne goes on and on about something. Yet, in the next minute, as you begin to understand why she is so happy with the Cuthberts, you will find yourself in tears. For Ms. McNulty truly knows how to manipulate and toy with your emotions. She isn't relying on her character and whatever connection you have to them, instead she has you connect with her. Thus leaving you at her whim and desiring nothing more to see joy come to her and the unfortunate lessons of life kept to a minimum.

Hence the Positive label and the recommendation. For most shows, even with an hour and a half premiere, can still leave you unsure of its direction or if you want to invest time into it. With Anne, however, McNulty, and the rest of the cast have you invested within 5 minutes and have a hold on your feelings in 9. Something I'm not sure I ever experienced before.

House of Cards: Chapter 64 (2017) Season 5, Episode 12

Good emotional episode..

[8 June 2017]

One of the biggest questions, going into this latest season of House Of Cards, is whether events off screen will overshadow those being transmitted by broadband to homes around the world. Perhaps that's the wrong way of putting it. The real question is not whether the fortunes of Trump, Clinton, Sanders, Rubio and co. will be more vivid and loud than those of Mr and Mrs Underwood, but by how much. It's an election year, and an especially disruptive and unusual one at that, so the task that befalls the makers of House Of Cards is how to make their show stand out when there's a real life drama playing out like a technicolour Bayeux Tapestry on everybody's TV screens anyway.

It would be reasonable to describe much of American politics as soap operatic, were it not for the fact that the livelihoods and security of millions of people depend on the outcome (and also, if I'm honest, if it wasn't for the fact that British politics had certain Coronation Street tendencies of its own). Nevertheless, many of the tropes that House Of Cards plays so well are drawn from the heightened dramatic arena of the Beltway and yet so much of it remains enjoyably domestic.

First, the politics. In fiction, as in life, it's primary season and President Underwood is running for reelection. That is, he's running for election. His position in the big chair is the product of his ascendancy after the impeachment of President Garrett Walker, while his former office of Vice President was also the outcome of some nefarious scheming. This is the first time we've seen Underwood face the intense political bloodsport of the American voting process. With enemies in his own party and beyond (as well as some opponents even closer to home), the President has his work cut out. As the incumbent, he gets to enjoy the advantage that Presidential life and resources offers but also the significant disadvantage of having a rather demanding day job.

Following the trend of the last season, Frank appears almost trapped by power; he can project it, (and project it well. Just watch how he is able to summon people to him without their assent or even their knowledge) but he's still reduced to a static position in the middle while more mobile characters work for and against him in his surroundings. The cast of powerful and competent underlings and antagonists, among them the returning Doug Stamper Jacky Sharp, Remy Danton and Heather Dunbar (now officially a rival to Frank), is augmented by the arrival of Neve Campbell as LeAnn Harvey, a consultant and exponent of 'old-school tactics' who helps Claire to seek her own position outside her husband's shadow and create her own power base.

Frank is, as ever, something of a lonely figure. Not to mention an angry one. His temper is starting to get the better of him and, while the controlled manipulator of the early seasons is still there, there's a growing sense that he's starting to lose it. It's hardly surprising - anyone with that much personal power must find the things that they cannot control to be especially irritating. Of course, his emotional state is also simultaneously the symptom and the cause of his marital difficulties. Claire Underwood's role has increased yet again and as husband and wife begin to circle one another like hyenas, a new dynamic emerges.

The addition of Ellen Burstyn as Claire's formidable mother adds a strong touch of Southern Gothic that makes a fine contrast with the brisk DC gloss and draws an even sharper distinction between Frank and Claire. Their partnership (a term that now seems far more accurate than 'marriage') has shown significant strain before, but this season offers a more thorough exploration of their lives, once separate and now dividing again. This is an exquisitely slow meditation on a relationship and is proving to be the show's defining concern. I, like many people, had expected House Of Cards to follow the focus of its parent programme and examine a man's dastardly rise to power. It isn't quite that. The rise to power, completed very early on, is proving to be a mere component in a story that is both larger and smaller. We appear to be firmly in phase 2 of a very long story arc that has the relationship of the First Couple at its heart and for which political matters act simply as context and dramatic decoration. The 'house' of the show's title is neither the White House nor the House of Representatives, but house in the heraldic sense of the domestic institution. Its certain collapse is no less tragic for having this narrower focus and the drama is all the more powerful for that. This is marriage as tragedy and we're getting to see every painful step downwards.

The Leftovers: The Book of Nora (2017) Season 3, Episode 8

A Terrific Way to Say Goodbye..

[4 June 2017]

It's hard to write a review about this unique episode. There is so much going on here. It's an unpredictable episode throughout and I'm still a bit confuse,but a few things will remain in my head & heart forever.

The acting is great, just as usual. What is best about the leftovers is they made an entire single episode on a character and even though sometimes story would be new and strange but the directors and writers represented it in dramatic form..Some people would say that it deviated from main storyline or was slow sometimes but it's just ideal for some of us..Concerning the writing... perfect!The character fates were decided the tight writing (without clichéd gimmicks or ridiculous dialog that only happens between fictional people) the phenomenal camera work and editing, the entire package, darn near perfect. But Not everyone will love this episode.

I'll admit to being internally conflicted at the moment of the reveal. When Nora's phone call home found Laurie alive and well — that she didn't commit suicide while scuba diving — my first reaction wasn't relief, but fear.

Perhaps my favorite thing about the finale was how it stayed true to the ambiguous nature of the series. "The Leftovers" has never been about telling people what to think as much as it's focused on expanding viewers' perceptions of what's possible. That the series ended with one more unseen story only further emphasized that you can believe whatever you want — including whether or not Nora really did travel to the other side.

For all the talk about depression, grief, and pain surrounding "The Leftovers" over the past three years, the series was never really about wallowing in those emotions. While addressing them in their many forms and varying states was not only vital to understanding the characters, but humanity in general, Lindelof and Perrotta weren't trying to trap anyone; very much the opposite. "The Leftovers" was about finding a way out. Had "The Book Of Nora" just consisted of the interactions between Kevin and Nora, it would have still been perfect. But the script goes so far as to let Kevin quickly detail Matt's funeral and provide updates on what's happening with the many characters who don't make appearances in the episode. If anything, "The Book Of Nora" might go a little too far with the punctuation. But man, there's so little to complain about in the final episode of a show that takes the biggest, most terrifying questions and turned them into a sweeping love story.

As inevitable as it was improbable, in the end, Nora (Carrie Coon) and Kevin (Justin Theroux) found happiness. They found contentment. They found the mysterious ideal we're all striving for in this complicated life of ours. They've got it. It took years — decades, even — and depending on what you believe, it took a bit of magic.

But they did it, and in doing so, "The Leftovers" provided the most unlikely answer of them all: if not the secret, than a secret to life; Kevin and Nora's secret, which is the only one that matters at the end of this magnificent quest.

The final shot of Season 3 obviously holds great meaning to its premiere episode, "The Book of Kevin," when the standalone introduction tracked a religious community who used doves to determine when the great flood would come (and exemplify the power and mystery of belief). That, on its own, gives the last shot of the series added meaning. It's about coming home and finding peace, but that the doves can also tie, oh so subtly, to the pilot, where this long journey from grief to happiness began, is sheer soul-shattering beauty.

 I was very skeptical about this series because i thought all the episodes would be similar but i was dead wrong and what tom Perrotta and Damon Lindelof has done here is just amazing. It answers questions, and is well- written throughout. Even if it is not popular and rated high as other Hbo shows like Got, True detective and The wire,Even if Kevin Harvey or Mr. President doesn't get an emmy I will always remember this show as a great way for Adrenalin rush. "The Leftovers" at its best! The final scene will stay with me for quite a while...

Planet Earth II: Cities (2016) Season 1, Episode 6

Greetings from Jodhpur, An amazing end with great moral..

[1 June 2017]

I liked all episodes of this masterpiece but first and last are very underrated.Many shows have 9.9 ratings but this one truly deserve it.from the start when I saw monkeys on roofs I thought hey this looks familiar and Sir David Attenborough said This is Jodhpur,India and I wanna thank the crew and cast because they've done a marvellous job showing us what we see everyday watching monkeys jumping from rooftops and feeding them is normal here but I didn't know where they come from and how loving creatures they are anyway after that we Get to see the bird falcon in new York city and how they survive in that atmosphere.It was completely surreal watching Planet Earth scenes unfold in Manhattan, kind of like when your favourite drama boxset heads into a completely new environment for its final season and it all feels familiar and yet unfamiliar, like a new area has been unlocked.The episode began by focusing on the positives of urban territories for wildlife, with a variety of monkeys making off with market groceries, leopards using cities' background noise as cover while hunting, opportunistic catfish turning the food chain on its head and eating pigeons, and hyenas fighting over access to a city and its buffet of butcher shops.

There were some incredible and thoroughly unprecedented shots and moments of cinema on the way - starlings in Rome performing aerial displays and it was the best moment I've ever seen,reminiscent of Rorschach paintings and a bird on a golf course assembling discarded human waste to impress a mate. In the case of the latter, he ended up using none other than a heart trinket as the jewel in his display, only for the mate to turn out to be a young male who proceeded to literally steal his heart, a coincidence that must have left the camera crew giving thanks to the gods of documentary film.

In addition to all the staggering wildlife moments, there was some absolutely jaw-dropping footage of the cities, specifically a zooming, timelapsing, vibrantly colour-graded, seamlessly edited sequence that I have absolutely no idea how they achieved (it's not just the camera crews who have outdone themselves this series but the editors too) You could sense that a huge "BUT" was coming in the episode, and I'm actually surprised it didn't come sooner, being held off until hundreds of disorientated hatchling turtles crawled towards the lights of a city and perished.

The shots of them getting lodged in plastic cups, trapped down storm drains and crushed on the roads were harrowing but absolutely necessary - a stark reminder of how thoughtlessly and readily we allow animals to suffer for our gain.

Outside of this the episode wasn't the gut punch I expected though, ending on a positive note as it visited Singapore and its world-beating attempts to create symbiotic structures where both humans and animals can thrive. This was capped off with a purposeful piece-to-camera from Sir David Attenborough himself - the first time we've seen him in the flesh this series - that I sincerely hope won't fall on deaf ears in a world.

The Planet Earth Diaries segment, a must stick around for if like me you're a filming geek, was the most interesting yet and quite poignant, the crews finding that they're actually much more comfortable surrounded by nature in jungles than they are by humans and honking vehicles in cities. A shooting trick involving a self-stabilising camera, a long cable and a satsuma meanwhile typified how ingenious the camera teams are and how they've really tried (and succeeded) to achieve something bigger than 'documentary footage' this series.

A fantastic finish to a fantastic series that show us how we should care about environment and nature, a remarkable piece of a television and a reminder of why BBC matters.

The Leftovers: The Most Powerful Man in the World (and His Identical Twin Brother) (2017) Season 3, Episode 7

You know about fisher protocol? Prove it...

[29 May 2017]

Major spoilers... From the second I heard The Leftovers' season one theme start to play over this episode's opening credits — beginning with that infamous, ominous "bwoooooommppp"! — I was both bracing myself for the inevitably intense hour ahead and laughing at the show's sheer defiance.

But as both the callback opening credits and the bruising ending of "The Most Powerful Man in the World (and His Identical Twin Brother)" confirm, The Leftovers is still, at its core, what it's always been: a story about wrenching, deeply personal grief. For all the show's talk of divine intervention and Doomsday proclamations, when Kevin — or more accurately, both Kevins — finally gets to the center of his mental maze in this episode's final minutes, it's not about God at all. It's just about Kevin, a well-meaning man who'd nonetheless rather run from his problems than do the hard work of untangling them. It's about the life he had, the life he wanted, and the woman he still loves.While season two's "International Assassin" is probably the best "Kevin in the afterlife" episode, I think this one ultimately had the most to it, if that makes sense. By the time Kevin is fighting himself in an attempt to cut a key out of his own heart — a key that will launch nuclear Armageddon, mind you — it's clear that The Leftovers has escaped its earthly bonds and jetted off to some new planet entirely.This "other world" in "The Leftovers" is meant to feel a lot like a vivid dream, where everyone looks familiar and everything feels incredibly important — until the dreamer wakes up and realizes nothing made sense.

Going back to "International Assassin" territory for a third time would seem like a bold move, if not for the other ambitiously out-there episodes that have thrilled this season. It was amazing that such a quirky, symbolic detour of an episode would work in the first place, let alone three times. The return to Kevin Harvey's world isn't just a fun waste of time; it's used to highlight Kevin's depression. The place is where Kevin flees to when faced with his insecurities about letting himself be broken and vulnerable around the women he loves. Kevin's fear of showing his real face and being rejected by his family is the very thing keeping him from his family, driving him to what is essentially suicide. Tonight, Kevin acknowledges his fear of Nora, a fear that speaks to just how much he loves her.

The thing is, you will either think this is the greatest thing or think it's pointless. In this season we have both drama and comedic scenes,especially I loved how much confused he was and making it through the strange world. I absolutely adore this and season 3 has just got better and better. Justin Theroux deserves so many accolades for what he has brought to the showman, my brain still hurts. This is one screwed up episode! But in an awesome freaking way! Damn,it brought tears in my eyes.The acting is so good... Wow. And the director did a great job in delivering the main message and the purpose of this episode. Phew, philosophical stuff... This episode kinda scared me! As you can see and read, I'm not really by myself... This episodes was too good to be true. It's a brain-shaker and full of interesting scenes. It keeps you guessing throughout. Kevin is hot as always. We got some nice shots of him. Good that he's not only handsome, his acting skills are amazing!

What's neat about that ending is that it's still fraught with religious imagery. The sight of John and Michael sleeping near what could have been Kevin's corpse recalls the two disciples who fell asleep outside of Jesus's tomb and missed the resurrection in the New Testament, and, of course, Kevin returns to life after having apparently been dead awhile, which is not something people just do.Surreal, symbolic, silly, and sorrowful, this was yet another fantastic episode of TheLeftovers. It keeps getting harder and harder to think about saying goodbye to this show next week. A solid season finale could cement this an all-time great season of television, and like the characters on this show that I love, I have a strong personal belief that they'll stick the landing.So we have a big question now - Can Kevin get to Nora in time? And in the end scene question remains unanswered "what now"?

Twin Peaks (2017)

It is compelling enough already, perfect return of 90's masterpiece..

[21 May 2017]

Possibly one of the best TV dramas ever, "Twin Peaks" managed to return in a challenging and unique way It is bizarre (not to mention intelligent) piece of television that has returned again with putting the pieces of puzzle together..

Lynch introduced the first two episode in typically enigmatic fashion, recalling the tall trees which envelop the logging town-setting for Twin Peaks' supernatural mysteries.Original cast members Kyle MacLachlan, who plays FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper and Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer), reprise their roles, while new additions include Naomi Watts and Laura Dern.

In short, the new episodes are completely unlike any version of Twin Peaks we've seen in the past, and that's what's so exciting. This is no retread; this is something new. After you've seen the show for yourself, I'm guessing it's all you're going to want to talk about. It's going to be a wonderfully nightmarish summer. Music again plays an important role in establishing Twin Peaks' atmosphere with Portland, Oregon band The Chromatics contributing to the soundtrack.

If you get a chance to watch Twin Peaks now, and I highly recommend that you do, it may seem strange that such a show was ever on TV at all. This is because most of television is so bland and boring and repetitious while TP is fresh and original and effective.  Daring and provocative, it shattered the boundaries of most standard soap operas/TV dramas.There are great characters sprinkled throughout, my favorites being:Leland Palmer, and of course Coop, but really they're all interesting

To finish, one needs to watch that 90's version of show. It's not uniformly brilliant and sometimes just plain weird, but always rewarding and truly one of the landmarks of American television. Go get a nice piece of cherry pie, a cup of coffee, take four days off work and start watching it. Then watch how this masterpiece unfold..

Sense8: You Want a War? (2017) Season 2, Episode 11

Out with a bang..

[14 May 2017]

What a season finale..Get ready to for the adrenaline rush, you aren't ready for...really! This episode is going to make you cry and cheer for this group of amazing individuals. Each character will draw you in and make you love them more and more.I found that this episode pulls no punches. I was really excited to see that the story lines continued evolution. The growth in this final episode will leave you screaming at the screen for more of Sense8, almost each episode has come to some kind of climatic resolution. I must tell you that I enjoyed each episode explicitly and can't wait for Season 3.. If you watch you will not be disappointed.Long story short, you'll cry, cheer with emotion, get goosebumps and scream in front of your computer or TV as you see the story develop in one of the best episodes from any TV show this year.This episode is so full of emotions and various stories that I can't really sum up any of them but I'd like to note that you'll be very satisfied with the series finale. The performances are great, the script is really well written as you're glued to the screen at every moment, the editing is sublime and the cinematography... Oh the cinematography, it's been a long, long time since I've seen a movie or show so beautiful. Every single shot could be a still for a cinema magazine cover and it's a treat for your eyes seeing the Icelandic landscape in such a beautiful format.

The Leftovers: It's a Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World (2017) Season 3, Episode 5

One of the most satisfying hours of television...

[14 May 2017]

Spoilers..This episode is fantastic.It focuses on Matt, just simply stunning,A little about the episode -- It starts with a strange scene on a submarine that scene gives us the answer to the questions of previous episode that why all flights are down,then the whole episode focuses on Matt. With Laurie,john and Michael he tries to go to Australia (Melbourne) in a ngo plane but they end up in Tasmania.So they try to book a boat but all boats were full and they had to make their way into a strange boat where everyone's partying and dealing with loss in their own ways there Matt learns about a man who calls himself God and interacts with him.but he doesn't believe and he watches him throw someone in the sea and then he tried to tell everyone about that but no one cared so he tries to make him confess about the murder but end up believing he is God and we get to know that Matt is dying.In the end Matt proves to be right about that killed man and the man calling himself God dies by the tiger and so does Matt's faith..

I suppose when I thought about what the final season of The Leftovers might contain, "an orgy at sea with a sex-lion cult" was not on the list, but, then, I'd like to meet the person whose list it was on. Isn't that why we watch this show? For its endless number of ways to show us how people handled the Departure really, really poorly?What's even better is that this episode tosses The Leftovers' most stubborn, most faithful character into the midst of its big orgy, in hopes that he might have an epiphany, and then he kinda does. I'm speaking, of course, of Matt.The episode contains what might be the entire series' most naked moment of questioning God and wondering why God would do, well, anything that makes humanity suffer. And it happens against the backdrop of sex lions and a murder at sea.It's the end of the world as Matt knows it.Even if the episode ends with, I think, Matt taking a good hard look at his stalwart faith and bitterly smashing it to pieces, I haven't been able to shake his prediction that the seventh anniversary of the Departure will bring forth an apocalyptic flood.Well, technically, the question is whether or not David Burton was God, as he claimed. But if the answer is "yes," then God would, in fact, be dead. (Or at least trapped in a hotel.) And what will Matt do now? Since he no longer has "pressing business" in Melbourne, how will Matt spend his last days on Earth? Ouch. Sorry. That was meant to be a joke about the seventh anniversary of the Sudden Departure, but then I remembered Matt is really dying. Damn it. This show is sad sometimes.

from the beginning to the end. I have no word to describe Ecclestone's performance,he deserves at least an Emmy nomination. Overall, all the acting is fantastic. Maybe my favorite episode of my favorite series of this year. If you haven't already watched this episode, you should do it right now. And if you haven't already start watching The leftovers... man... you know what you have to do. Maybe this show won't give you all the answers but the emotional impact is amazing.. Incredibly unusual, thought-provoking, emotional and now frequently hilarious, The Leftovers is making every last minute count. With only three episodes left, I cannot wait to see how the arcs for each character ends and which, if any, of the big questions will be answered. Even if the ending isn't entirely satisfying, the ride has been something to behold. "It's a Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World" has more than enough allusions and symbols for us to tease out at great length, but I like the way that it ultimately comes down to a kind of synthesis. Believe in God or don't believe in God — either way, you're still stuck with yourself..10/10

Sense8: If All the World's a Stage, Identity Is Nothing But a Costume (2017) Season 2, Episode 10

Great interesting episode..

[12 May 2017]

Spoilers..I'm not sure I always understood what happened during Sense8's second season, which leans heavily into the conspiracy theory plot the show started exploring late in its inaugural run. But I never much minded — season 2 is such a beautiful examination of the themes of love, human relationships, and what identity is that the messy or less enthralling moments are worth pushing through. Giving into some of the nonsensical aspects of the show's mythology, rewarded me with a better paced, more action-packed.It's strange to say, given that it's a narratively complex sci-fi thriller, but plot is not the most important thing for Sense8. It isn't a brilliant show because of its mythology or its long-term plotting. It's a brilliant show because of its characters. The conflict with B.P.O. is compelling, but that story line isn't without holes and weak spots. The focused conflicts in the sensates' lives — and the ways those conflicts overlap and interplay with each other — are much more captivating because they're more character-driven. The season's penultimate episode steps back slightly from the B.P.O. crisis to zero in on what's happening in the cluster's lives, bringing many of their arcs to crucial turning points ahead of the finale.Sense8's this episode takes the building blocks of season 1 and develops it into a wild ride, continuing the show's beautiful cinematography from around the world while spotlighting a delightful ensemble cast. The result is a season that is as affecting and fun to watch as it can be puzzling to follow. Yet, ultimately the show's positivity and desire to promote human connection and acceptance shines through.At the end of the episode, the cluster comes together to let Sun know that they're there for her. "One way or another, we end it," Wolfgang says. His words touch on Sun's predicament, but it's also implied that he's referring to the grander conflict that connects them all, declaring a promise to B.P.O. and any enemy who gets in their way. No matter what, they will survive together. "Take everything that matters, push it all into this," Kala says, placing her hand on Sun's fist as the others follow suit. The sensates all fight in their individual lives, but they are all fighting for the same essential thing: each other. Sense8 is defined by its compelling characters, and although they can stand on their own, they're most moving in the ways they overlap and interplay. Even when plot lines like Capheus's run for office waver, the characters, their convictions, and their emotions fuel Sense8.

The Last Kingdom: Episode #2.8 (2017) Season 2, Episode 8

A bloody bitter end..

[5 May 2017]

Spoilers..As the rock music video genre teaches, fire makes everything twice as exciting. At least twice as exciting. That meant The Last Kingdom's blazing denouement, in which the East Anglian fortress of Bumfluff burnt to the ground alongside Aethelflaed and Erik's hope of a happy ending, was almost too thrilling. I had to defrost the freezer afterwards just to calm down. The finale was bookended by a monologue on love. It gives a man strength, preached Father Pyrlig, often at the cost of his mind.Hard cut to Alfred, a man freighted with the painful choice between the safety of his country and that of his daughter. He chose to pay the ransom, a decision ostensibly made to save Wessex the humiliation of having its princess turned into a travelling fairground attraction, but hiding a father's desperate love under the surface. David Dawson is great under the surface. He plays struggle and ambivalence like a concert pianist plays a sonata. Love gave Erik the Northman the strength to stand up to his brother and sacrifice their long-standing plan to rule England. 'Twas Aethelflaed's beauty killed the beast, before Aethelflaed—you beauty—killed the beast, Sigefrid. If I had the witchcraft required to make gifs, I'd watch Aethelred's gawping reaction to his wife walking away from her kill, head down and blade dripping, everyday twice before breakfast. That craven bread pudding boy might think twice before pushing her around in future. Erik died with a sword in his hand, and one in his heart, both courtesy of big bro. Off he goes to Valhalla while his true love goes home to Mercia with a Danish pup in her belly to spice up the line of English succession. I hope it's a boy born with a beard, undercut and tattoos, who spends his entire life beating his 'dad' at sports. What a scene Erik's death made. Flaming embers flew like fireflies around the pair of them as they clashed in combat, fighting, hating and loving each other all at once as only brothers can. It was a roaring conclusion to their long-seeded story, acted with all the guts and gusto you'd expect from a couple of Vikings.Aethelflaed's first love affair may have ended painfully, but it provided her with a great tragic backstory – just the thing for wistfully mulling over while she poses for royal portraits. She suffered, but at least was also able to tick two key items off her The Last Kingdom bingo card – being strung up, Tweety-Pie-like, in a cage, and wetting her sword with the blood of her enemy. Hers was a better first kill than Osferth's. Endearingly lacking the mettle of his companions (good, wasn't it, that the attack on Erik's ship lost Uhtred half his men but not the half whose names we knew), he poked away at an already-dying man with the face of a vegetarian trimming the giblets from a turkey. Osferth's face is a wondrous thing. The storytelling elasticity of Norman Wisdom beneath the hair of Gareth from The Office. I hope he hasn't gone back to the monastery for good. Everyone was at odds with each other this week. As in much of history, the episode was driven by powerful men taking unilateral action (when will they all learn just to listen to Uhtred?). With the common goal of saving Wessex, Alfred, Odda and Uhtred all set about separate plans that each converged on a single location – helpfully, in fact, on a single field. Once there, they united against the real enemy and prospered. Still on the theme of love, there was none lost between Alfred and Uhtred, as proved by that hostile final scene. You'd think the safe return of his daughter would thaw Alfred's frosty behaviour towards his Pagan oathman, but things obviously aren't that simple for a pious king.

Overall then, at the close of a rip-roaring second series, eight episodes of which have simply flown by, The Last Kingdom delivered a dramatic, high-stakes finale with more action and tension than a Saturday night at the Two Cranes Inn.I just have one question: please sir, can I have some more

Person of Interest: Return 0 (2016) Season 5, Episode 13

Unbelievably great and inspiring end to a masterpiece(no spoilers)...

[4 May 2017]

Not only a fantastic ending to a nail-biting sub-plot, but also a marvelous introduction to a beautiful new era...After finishing this episode, I completely forgot that "Person of Interest" was a network TV show, because nothing about this story, or the episodes preceding it have felt so flawlessly created for a show airing on CBS. Absolute wonderful cinematography, outstanding acting from the whole cast and some wonderful pieces of dialogue masked the tedious and overplayed plot devices you might expect from regular television..Jonathan Nolan and Amanda Segel did a great job in genre like this I never liked action much but with good story and direction everything can be perfect I am sad that this show is ending but Nolan's new show "Westworld" is starting on HBO I am looking forward to it..

Utopia: Episode #2.1 (2014) Season 2, Episode 1

New storyline but filled with emotions...

[4 May 2017]

No spoilers...It was a great episode because it had new characters new story (related to old one) but story and direction was marvellous that I thought it wasn't new at all. Some scenes were very touching and showed the true nature of humans what a scientist would do if millions are at stake..and milner (rose leslie) did a great job marvellous She is new in the show but got into character in 5mintues I liked her about the episode it was in the past in 1974 where the idea of virus originated Phillip carvel and milner had a great chemistry..Phillip carvel is father of arby and Jessica and what happened with them was very cruel..milner and Phillip begin to prepare virus and milner eliminates all the threats to them at last I wanna say it was a great episode don't listen to the haters or bad reviews because either they are too sentimental or too naive to watch this episode...

Legion: Chapter 1 (2017) Season 1, Episode 1

No one expected that..

[4 May 2017]

Our understanding of the world is unavoidably shaped by our limited perspective. Time and again, scientists tell us that our eyes are unreliable, that our memory is terrible, and we constantly reshape events and ideas to fit them into our preconceived notions of who we are and how the world works. In short, we make for rotten recording devices. Humans are like a camcorder with a mic that haphazardly cuts in and out and a lens continually distorting and even blotting out physical objects altogether, as though someone were digitally altering the film stock with the impetuous whimsy of a child. For a species that bases its claim to dominance on self-awareness and higher communication functions, we're remarkably shitty at both.

This episode starts in an asylum where David is held because of his suicidal tendencies. Th the voices, the constant lapses into memory, and the conversing with the dead, it's easy to see how he ended up in the care of a mental institution. As far as unreliable narrators go, David may take the cake. Between having enormous telepathy and telekinetic abilities and simultaneously being convinced that he's insane and unwell, David surely has developed personality issues. I'm worried for him, but also worried about whether we can trust what we're seeing through David's point of view.And then The optical bombardment continues throughout the proceedings;the chronology of the scenes, between the asylum and David's interrogation, the purposely retro-styled clothing, contrasted with the space mod interiors which make it all seem like this could be taking place in any era, it's all meant to keep the viewer as disoriented as David.some scenes were bizarre throughout the episode as the end approaches there are some action scenes that makes you want for more..

Overall-Legion is visually stunning, easily the best-looking superhero show ever made.Legion makes it hard to discern what's real and what's imagined. That's what makes it brilliant.There are many questions unanswered so we will see how this series progress..

The Night Of: The Beach (2016) Season 1, Episode 1

A perfect start..

[4 May 2017]

I was amazed to see this show that I didn't notice before has a rating 9 on IMDb so I watched the first episode and it was very exquisite, Drama at it's best and the investigation,tension,the murder,mystery it has everything you need.The pilot was very long (1hr 20min) but it felt much shorter, it was tense from start to finish, in the sense of the story it was actually very predictable, but it was the acting and how the story was portrayed that made it so gripping and watchable. Not a second went by where my attention wasn't glued to the TV screen. What really made me love the pilot was how REAL the story felt, there wasn't a moment that made me think that it was a stupid story, it felt REAL. The acting was superb by everyone, the cinematography was perfect with it's overall dark tone and lighting, and the music just set the scene playing in the background to the tone of the show. Overall If you are looking for new best crime drama series of 2016 here it is HBO did it again...