The Stop Button

American Gothic (1995) s01e19 “Strangler” [1998] D: Doug Lefler. S: Gary Cole, Lucas Black, Paige Turco, Brenda Bakke, Sarah Paulson, Nick Searcy, John Mese. Cole and Paulson go full magical in the opening, resulting in Cole hiring the ghost of the Boston Strangler (Gareth Williams) to take Paulson out. Ghosts can kill ghosts. Williams tries to bring her out by befriending Black. Williams is pretty dang evil, and it’s a great episode for Searcy, but there’s a lot wrong. Especially the direction.

American Gothic (1995) s01e20 “Triangle” [1996] D: James Frawley. S: Gary Cole, Lucas Black, Paige Turco, Brenda Bakke, Sarah Paulson, Nick Searcy, John Mese. Icky episode about Cole mind controlling Turco and Bakke into needing him over self. Except it started as a showcase for Turco until she completely disappears for the finish. And Mese gets a bunch. It has occasional moments but it’s got a bad vibe. And the special effects are all either bad or ugly. It’s a sharp decline.

American Gothic (1995) s01e21 “The Buck Stops Here” [1996] D: Lou Antonio. S: Gary Cole, Lucas Black, Paige Turco, Brenda Bakke, Sarah Paulson, Nick Searcy, John Mese. Lots of problems with the episode, but considering how more mythology they get into the one episode… It’s impressive. They do a fine job getting the show to a finale. Too bad the budget’s gone (it looks very daytime soap), and all the ideas for Black are bad. But guest star Brent Jenning does get one surprisingly outstanding scene.

FROM (2022) s03e02 “When We Go” [2024] D: . S: Harold Perrineau, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Eion Bailey, David Alpay, Ricky He, Chloe Van Landschoot, Avery Konrad. The monsters have finally killed someone everyone likes, so we get a rather affecting episode. Lots of mourning, lots of anger, lots of bad ideas. We’ve also got guest star Robert Joy bringing a level of humanity to the show we don’t often get. Really good episode for Perrineau, He, and Van Landschoot. The cliffhanger’s dirt cheap, though.

Grantchester (2014) s09e05 “Episode 5” [2024] D: . S: Robson Green, Al Weaver, Tessa Peake-Jones, Kacey Ainsworth. There’s been a murder at Ainsworth and Green’s daughter Skye Lucia Degruttola’s office. It’s a little about the family, a little about the murder, a lot about the sexism women faced and face in the workplace. Degruttola is around but doesn’t get much; Johns gets a deserved spotlight. And Nair’s in a bad mood thanks to unexpected news.

Grantchester (2014) s09e06 “Episode 6” [2024] D: . S: Robson Green, Al Weaver, Tessa Peake-Jones, Kacey Ainsworth. The mystery this episode’s a showy affair involving archeologists and fraud. The meat of the episode is Nair breaking bad (turns out he’s a GRANTCHESTER vicar, after all), Weaver (who directed too, quite nicely) finding out Dimsdale’s keeping secrets, and Ainsworth being stoned on housewife’s helper. Nair’s arc mostly just reminds his character is still too unsubstatial.

Tulsa King (2022) s02e03 “Oklahoma v. Manfredi” [2024] D: Joshua Marston. S: Sylvester Stallone, Jay Will, Max Casella, Annabella Sciorra, Neal McDonough, Frank Grillo, Andrea Savage. It’s the trial episode, something the show wastes no time with. Stallone does a good job with it, though when he questions ex-girlfriend, Savage… it reminds of a more charming era. Grillo shows up to talk tough with Stallone; also fine. The episode’s usually better than fine, rarely worse. McDonough’s just a lousy season villain is all. Eh.