American Gothic (1995) s01e17 “Learning to Crawl” [1996] D: Michael Lange. S: Gary Cole, Lucas Black, Paige Turco, Brenda Bakke, Sarah Paulson, Nick Searcy, John Mese. After a near death experience, Black goes fishing with Cole, only to get in the middle of Cole messing with Bakke and Mese’s date night. And to interrupt kidnapper Ted Raimi and company. Good acting from the regular cast can’t compensate for the terrible performances from the guest stars or the direction. Or the neglectful writing. Very low okay.

The Bear (2022) s03e01 “Tomorrow” [2024] D: Christopher Storer. S: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Abby Elliott, Matty Matheson, Liza Colón-Zayas. The show does one of its concept episodes–a flashback filled montage showing White at various points in his professional career. Sometimes they even involve returning guest stars, just in for cameo bits. There are some reveals (it’s a mythology episode), but it’s mostly just exquisitely done food p*rn. Great direction from Storer. The best possible (narrative) dodge.

The Bear (2022) s03e02 “Next” [2024] D: Christopher Storer. S: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Abby Elliott, Matty Matheson, Liza Colón-Zayas. Intense, initially Edebiri-fronted episode before it widens to the group and does a proper follow-up to last season’s finale. Some outstanding curse banter exchanges between White and Moss-Bachrach. Great performances. Oliver Platt shows up for some fun, and there’s a nice, unexpected coda. BEAR’s ripping. And the opening titles Chicago montage is a winner.

The Boys (2019) s04e06 “Dirty Business” [2024] D: Karen Gaviola. S: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Karen Fukuhara. The show pushes the gross-out, even for it, as Quaid goes undercover as the Spider-Man analog in the Batman analog’s mansion. Well, the cave. Upstairs it’s Starr trying to court the 1% of the 1% into a coup, downstairs it’s even more objectionable. And then there’s a lot for Urban to figure out on his own.

The Boys (2019) s04e07 “The Insider” [2024] D: Catriona McKenzie. S: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara. The show remembers it’s the season finale next time, so after a relatively chill episode–minus the bad guy tearing their skin off (intentionally, so they can shape-shift) and things getting worse for Capone, Jesse T. Usher, and Chace Crawford (series best work from the latter two)–things get wild. And double and triple wild. Alonso’s awesome too.

The Boys (2019) s04e08 “Season Four Finale” [2024] D: Eric Kripke. S: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara. Powerhouse season finale gives lots of folks great scenes, starting with Urban and Moriarty (probably her best episode, acting-wise, to date), with Starr getting some great material too. And Claudia Doumit. Can’t forget her. Things just get progressively worse for the gang, as Urban lays dying and Moriarty’s imposter’s got her prisoner. Tense, passionate, knowing; real, real good.

The Equalizer (2021) s04e07 “Legendary” [2024] D: Tamika Miller. S: Queen Latifah, Tory Kittles, Adam Goldberg, Liza Lapira, Laya DeLeon Hayes, Lorraine Toussaint, P.J. Boss. Exquisite righteous violence episode has Latifah searching for daughter Hayes’s missing friend, a trans teenager (Avery Sands). Yasha Jackson plays Sands’s (understandably) panicked mom. She’s real good. Meanwhile, Toussaint goes to visit her reformed mugger from last season, Sosko; they have a nice but complicated visit. The sometimes amateurish guest performances are still earnest and the script’s rock solid.

The Equalizer (2021) s04e08 “Condemned” [2024] D: Cheryl Dunye. S: Queen Latifah, Tory Kittles, Adam Goldberg, Liza Lapira, Laya DeLeon Hayes, Lorraine Toussaint, Stephen Bishop. Latifah, Toussaint, and Hayes go to their annual block party, have gentle adventures, and learn important lessons. It’s a concept episode. Except, meanwhile, Kittles is shooting it out with the mob (in a bickering buddy pic with dad Danny Johnson). While it’s fun to see director Dunye do action sequences and Kittles is good, script’s a tad thin.

The Equalizer (2021) s04e09 “The Big Take” [2024] D: Millicent Shelton. S: Queen Latifah, Tory Kittles, Adam Goldberg, Liza Lapira, Laya DeLeon Hayes, Lorraine Toussaint, Deepti Menon. Sometimes okay, sometimes not good episode has Latifah and Kittles teaming up to take down his partner-killing nemesis (returning guest star Berto Colon, who’s… low energy; the writing doesn’t help but… low energy). They bicker over approach and Kittles has his worst episode in ages. But Hayes and Toussaint have a perfectly solid mini-episode with squatter Menon.

The Equalizer (2021) s04e10 “Shattered” [2024] D: Darren Grant. S: Queen Latifah, Tory Kittles, Adam Goldberg, Liza Lapira, Laya DeLeon Hayes, Lorraine Toussaint, Donal Logue. It’s the season finale, with some early forecasts at cast changes. Before the shake-up, Lapira finds herself in unexpected danger with the team racing to save the day. Sadly, it’s the network-mandated Islamophobic episode so it’s a bad A plot. Hayes’s educational future should be the B plot, but gets downgraded. Maybe the cast refresh will help.

Evil (2019) s04e01 “How to Split an Atom” [2024] D: Robert King. S: Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Andrea Martin, Christine Lahti, Patrick Brammall. Is it really good or is it just Wallace Shawn joining the cast as the team’s boss? It’s really good (because Herbers finally gets to let loose). And they’ve got a doomsday clock (multiple ones, actually). Maybe it’ll be a good last season. The cast deserves it. Mandvi gets a good subplot too. Colter… not so much.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014) s11e16 “June 23, 2024: UK Elections” [2024] D: Paul Pennolino. S: John Oliver. The feature’s all about the July 4th UK election and what utter wankers the Tories have been for the last fourteen years. It’s a well structured episode, with great recaps for the familiar audience member, while still being geared towards less familiar viewers. Lots of good laughs at terrible people. Oliver rarely does one for the homeland; nails it.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024) D: Mark Molloy. S: Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, Kevin Bacon. Fun, straight-faced legacy-quel with everyone being way too old for this shit. Murphy’s back in 90210 to protect lawyer daughter Paige, who’s teamed up with Reinhold against dirty cops. The structure and, often, soundtrack play like franchise greatest hits. Except Paige keeps up with Murphy and they’re a delight. The end’s a little thin, but not too.

Hayseed Romance (1935) D: Charles Lamont. S: Buster Keaton, Dorothea Kent, Jane Jones. Outstanding physical work from Buster, but when he’s got to act it’s iffy. He’s answering a want ad–farmhouse handyman who also is in the running for husband–and thinks it’s from fetching young Kent. Turns out it’s her aunt, Jones, and the house is a disaster. Jones is great at the physical comedy too, which helps.

In Bruges (2008) D: Martin McDonagh. S: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Clémence Poésy, Thekla Reuten, Jordan Prentice, Elizabeth Berrington. Moody, boozy, talky mobile play about hit men Farrell and Gleeson waiting for a call from the boss (Fiennes) for the next assignment. Strong first half falls apart in the second when writer-director McDonagh confuses himself with a better director. Fiennes’s writing forecasts McDonagh’s fumbles. Farrell and Gleeson are great, though. Nice Carter Burwell score too.

Late Night with the Devil (2024) D: Colin Cairnes. S: David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri, Josh Quong Tart. Beautifully produced pseudo-pseudo-documentary about a seventies late-night talk show host’s missing episode, forgotten to history (unlikely) and just rediscovered. Deceptively mid performance from Dastmalchian; he’s dynamic until it matters. The supporting cast’s also iffy. Bliss’s fun, Gordon’s not, Torelli’s solid. Perfect costumes, gorgeous photography; shame it’s just about the final act twist(s).

One Run Elmer (1935) D: Charles Lamont. S: Buster Keaton, Lona Andre, Dewey Robinson, Harold Goodwin. Buster owns a gas station in the desert and competes with Goodwin’s station, first for business then for fetching Andre. Turns out she likes baseball and, wouldn’t you know it, both fellows play for rival teams. Some great stunt work from Buster and nice production values help things immensely. And Robinson’s fun as the umpire. Slight end, though.

Smart Blonde (1937) D: Frank McDonald. S: Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Wini Shaw, Addison Richards, Robert Paige, Craig Reynolds, Charlotte Wynters. Fun little (doesn’t even break an hour) programmer about reporter Farrell solving crimes with her beau–police detective MacLane. The scoop? Richards is a straight-edge nightclub promoter who wants to get out without any funny business; he thinks he’s out, but they pull him back in. Great pace, and Farrell’s a delight. Practically no sexism (but… definite racism). Followed by FLY AWAY BABY.

Your Name. (2016) D: Makoto Shinkai. S: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Ryo Narita, Aoi Yuki, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Kaito Ishikawa, Kanon Tani. Lovely anime about two geographically distant high schoolers who, inexplicably, start switching bodies on irregular regular. It starts as a comedy with heart, then turns into something much more affecting. Great direction from Shinkai (who also scripted), even when the animation veers towards tepid. Kamiki and Kamishiraishi’s performances–along with Shinkai’s narrative impulses–more than cover for it.

The Big Door Prize (2023) s02e10 “Deercoming” [2024] D: Declan Lowney. S: Chris O’Dowd, Gabrielle Dennis, Ally Maki, Josh Segarra, Damon Gupton, Sammy Fourlas, Djouliet Amara. Oh, no, they’re doing another season. Or want to do another season. The season finale gives almost no one any good material (O’Dowd should fire his agent). The one exception (well, Aaron Roman Weiner’s always awesome), but other than him, only Crystal R. Fox comes through it. She even has a good arc, seemingly intentionally. Everything else? The dumps.

The Boys (2019) s04e01 “Department of Dirty Tricks” [2024] D: Philip Sgriccia. S: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara. Phenomenal season starter time jumps from last season’s cliffhanger to Starr on trial for murder, Urban circling the drain (as his superpower serum-caused tumor gets worse), and Alonso running the team. Oh, and evil politician and secret super-head popper Claudia Doumit is just about to be vice president. Beautifully paced, full of great setup for season arcs.

The Boys (2019) s04e02 “Life Among the Septics” [2024] D: Karen Gaviola. S: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara. Another superb episode. Alonso and Urban butt heads over Alonso’s leadership style, while Starr and his new consigliere (Susan Hayward, playing the smartest person ever… literally) try to turn reluctant super-son Cameron Crovetti into a full-fledged hero. Everyone else has lots going too, because the show’s great with its plotting. It even has micro-plots; so good.

The Boys (2019) s04e03 “We’ll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here” [2024] D: Fred Toye. S: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara. Everyone has a bad day. Urban’s bonding with Cameron Crovetti (in order to knock him out and kidnap him away from Starr). Moriarty finds out why the shitty white supremacist supe (Valorie Curry) hates her. Quaid’s still fighting with mom Rosemarie DeWitt. And Fukuhara’s hunting a supe-child trafficking ring, except Capone’s tripping. Literally. This season’s on fire.

The Boys (2019) s04e04 “Wisdom of the Ages” [2024] D: Philip Sgriccia. S: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara. Primo roosters coming home to roost episode. Redneck supe Valorie Curry stages a six hour telethon to piss of Moriarty, which the team tries to use to their advantage. Meanwhile, more with Quaid trying to save dying dad Simon Pegg. And then Starr goes back to his childhood home–a bunker lab–with an ice cream cake and questions.

The Boys (2019) s04e05 “Beware the Jabberwock, My Son” [2024] D: Shana Stein. S: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara. Quaid’s got a very big episode with reunited parents Simon Pegg and Rosemarie DeWitt. Very earnest, very good. Even if Pegg’s accent is still terrible. Then Urban and Alonso enlist an unlikely ally to get some superhero poison. The rest of the team nurses their various wounds on their horrifying mission. And Starr’s making moves. Lots going, all good.

Doctor Who (2023) s01e07 “The Legend of Ruby Sunday (1)” [2024] D: Jamie Donoughue. S: Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, Bonnie Langford, Jemma Redgrave, Yasmin Finney, Michelle Greenidge, Susan Twist. Fantastic setup for the season finale has Gatwa and Gibson back on Earth (in the present) trying to figure out mystery woman Susan Twist’s identity. They’re sure it’s got something to do with Gibson’s still unrevealed origin. Great performances from Gatwa and Redgrave. It’s great to see Finney again, too. (How’s uncle?). Next episode’s going to be a doozy.

Doctor Who (2024) s01e08 “Empire of Death (2)” D: Jamie Donoughue. S: Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, Bonnie Langford, Jemma Redgrave, Anita Dobson, Michelle Greenidge, Gabriel Woolf. Heartfelt, heartwarming season finale has almost too much heart, but also some absolutely terrifying sequences as the Mad Titan Thanos snaps his fingers and everyone turns to dust except Gatwa, Gibson, and Langford. Some more awesome acting from Gatwa as he tries to find the memory stones to set things right. Or something along those lines. Nail biter.

The Equalizer (2021) s04e06 “DOA” [2024] D: Paul Holahan. S: Queen Latifah, Tory Kittles, Adam Goldberg, Liza Lapira, Laya DeLeon Hayes, Lorraine Toussaint. Latifah and company try to help a poisoned, turncoat sleeper agent (Edward Astor Chin, who’s far below par), navigating the winding, Chinese-fear mongering plot. Some big action (maybe the DOD film office wrote a check). Toussaint and Hayes plan on going to a protest, which the show waffles on until the actually surprising conclusion. Busy but blah.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014) s11e15 “June 16, 2024: Trump’s Second Term” [2024] D: Paul Pennolino. S: John Oliver. Oliver covers the very unfun idea of a second Trump presidency, focusing on how the Republican establishment is now ready to dismantle the federal government in a way they weren’t before. Definitely worth a watch (but he’s preaching to the choir, so it’s unclear why it’s a topic other than some good digs). The bakery follow-up is stellar.

My Life Is Murder (2019) s04e04 “One Man’s Poison” [2024] D: Kiel McNaughton. S: Lucy Lawless, Ebony Vagulans, Rawiri Jobe, Joseph Naufahu, Joel Tobeck, Tandi Wright, Ben Black. It’s most hands on deck when Lawless investigates an obnoxious personal chef (Tobeck) accused of poisoning a client. Turns out Naufahu knows the accused; he goes undercover at the scene of the crime, with Vagulans in tow. The guest stars aren’t particularly notable, acting-wise, but the mystery is solid and the regular cast has lots of fun.

My Life Is Murder (2019) s04e05 “En Pointe” [2024] D: Sima Urale. S: Lucy Lawless, Ebony Vagulans, Rawiri Jobe, Joseph Naufahu, Emily Wiseman, Miranda Harcourt, Josh Thomson. As far as revelations go, they foreshadow it all too soon this episode. But the investigating more than makes up for it, with Lawless looking into a ballerina being shot dead (in the back) with arrows. Vagulans has a great time going on assignment as an archery student, which leans Lawless poking around the ballet school. Often very fun.

My Life Is Murder (2019) s04e06 “The Good Oil” [2024] D: Sima Urale. S: Lucy Lawless, Ebony Vagulans, Rawiri Jobe, Joseph Naufahu, Martin Henderson, Bill Bailey, Nicole Whippy. Pretty good episode even if only for the empathy. Sometimes it’s reluctant, sometimes it’s angry, but there’s so much of it. Lawless is looking into the murder of a coconut oil entrepreneur. The investigation shares time with brother Henderson returning for a subplot. The home stuff gives Lawless a just enough kick in the pants. She’s real good here.

My Life Is Murder (2019) s04e07 “The Widow’s Club (1)” [2024] D: Katie Wolfe. S: Lucy Lawless, Ebony Vagulans, Rawiri Jobe, Joe Naufahu, Martin Henderson, Jacqueline McKenzie, Rodger Corser. First part of the show’s first two-parter (at most second) has Lawless enlisting brother Henderson into the gang. They’re investigating country club murders, so lots foVagulans’s to do before the third act additional subplot. It sets up the cliffhanger, but tired into everything else. Henderson’s fun, Lawless flexes comedy and drama, and Vagulans’s new solo field investigating’s delightful.

My Life Is Murder (2019) s04e08 “The Widow’s Club (2)” [2024] D: Katie Wolfe. S: Lucy Lawless, Ebony Vagulans, Rawiri Jobe, Joe Naufahu, Martin Henderson, Jacqueline McKenzie, Siobhan Marshall. Solid enough season finale also gives Lawless the most character development in ages (seemingly to hedge the episode being a series finale too). Lawless and the gang have to clear her name from a (sort of) unexpected charge, which means solving the leftover mystery from last episode too. It’s mostly Lawless and guest star Jacqueline McKenzie staring daggers.

World of Giants (1959) s01e04 “Death Trap” D: Byron Haskin. S: Marshall Thompson, Arthur Franz. After a dirt cheap reopening series recap, tiny Thompson finds himself stranded in an unknown yard without his handler (Franz). He’s got to get to the nearby gardening shack to wait for rescue, except there are clumsy gardeners and hungry squirrels around. Actual Hollywood sci-fi director Haskin does the best job anyone has with the show so far.

World of Giants (1959) s01e05 “Gambling Story” D: Nathan H. Juran. S: Marshall Thompson, Arthur Franz, Marcia Henderson, Berry Kroeger, Ivan Triesault. Hollywood sci-fi producer Bill Alland takes over this episode and things are immediately different. And better. Better writing, better special effects. Same Thompson performance, however. And he gets to be mean to new regular, lady secretary Henderson. But Franz has never been better. And recognizable guest stars with speaking parts? It’s like a real TV show.

Black Panther (1998) #17 [2000] W: Chris Giarrusso, Christopher Priest, Glenn Alan Herdling. A: Bob Almond, Gregg Schigiel, Richard Case, Sal Velluto. Just when it seems like Priest has run out of surprise guest stars, he introduces another. Black Panther teams up with the Heroes for Hire and Falcon to fight a bunch of villains. It’s more Killmonger conspiring, which helps get Ross back into the action. The art gets looser as it goes, but the issue’s good. And impressively complicated.

Black Panther (1998) #18 [2000] W: Christopher Priest, Glenn Alan Herdling. A: Eric Powell, Gregg Schigiel, Kyle Hotz, Richard Case. Hotz’s guest art is a big departure from norm, even if it’s often beautiful stuff. Some gorgeous inking from Powell. After promising the Killmonger finale, Priest punts and instead has Ross beat up his girlfriend. Killmonger beats up with female supporting character too. It’s a big dampener on the issue, which introduces (and immediately resolves) a new narrative wrinkle.

Black Panther (1998) #19 [2000] W: Christopher Priest. A: Bob Almond, Sal Velluto. The feature–as Wakanda rapidly goes bankrupt, Panther does a bunch of exposition dumps regarding the story so far. Excellent art keeps it going, even as Priest lets the story threads get convoluted. Then there’s a done-in-one backup, all about how dangerous Ross’s job can get. It’s pointless… and just seems like filler to punt resolution.

Black Panther (1998) #20 [2000] W: Christopher Priest. A: Bob Almond, Sal Velluto. The Velluto and Almond start rises to the next level this issue, which has Panther and Killmonger punching on each other. There are some delightful POV panels; the fight’s dynamic but can’t be followed; it’s all about making things visceral. Real good. Even with Moon Knight guesting. The ending is truly surpassing, wrapping up some big threads… maybe.

Catwoman (2002) #22 [2003] W: Ed Brubaker. A: Cameron Stewart, Nick Derington. Selina and Holly get into some very predictable trouble on the road while Slam and Batman talk about who “deserves” Selina. Stewart’s just finishing Derrington’s layouts, which works out better than last guest layout artist but it’s just okay art. No great shakes. The issue reads like filler, with Brubaker grinding through tropes at the characters’ expenses.

Catwoman (2002) #23 [2003] W: Ed Brubaker. A: Cameron Stewart, Guy Davis. Holly and Selina fail Bechdel during a shopping trip to Opal City. While there, Catwoman teams up with JSA regular (?) Bobo Bennett to fight the Egyptian assassins who are following her. We also find out the whole road trip is surprise Holly with a still unannounced guest star. Davis doing layouts with Stewart finishing works out. Okay but thin.

Catwoman (2002) #24 [2003] W: Ed Brubaker. A: Cameron Stewart, Guy Davis. Selina and Holly’s road trip comes to an end, with Selina spending most of her time with the other guest stars. Brubaker once again fails Bechdel, but he also reveals the action subplot for this arc is going unresolved (as a tease, apparently). It feels more like wasted pages at this point. The Davis and Stewart art still delivers.

Catwoman (2002) #25 [2004] W: Ed Brubaker. A: Jimmy Palmiotti, Paul Gulacy. Gulacy joins as the new artist and does an okay job while never particularly vibing with Brubaker’s script. Selina is back home and the Mob has moved into her turf. Her part of the issue is fine; the villain stuff is very blah. Disappointingly, Gulacy’s main contribution seems to be “classy” cheesecake, And the end’s an eye roll.

Catwoman (2002) #26 [2004] W: Ed Brubaker. A: Jimmy Palmiotti, Paul Gulacy. Slam and Selina go to save a kidnapped kid from the bad guys, only for it to be an obvious trap they weren’t expecting because writer Brubaker is shrugging through. Selina even has a talk with Leslie Thompkins about how the series hasn’t gone anywhere so let’s try again. Zeiss is even more tedious than expected. It’s slipping fast.